KR20220011620A - Novel aerosol generating device - Google Patents

Abstract

An aerosol-generating article (1000) (4000a, 4000b) (5000) comprising an aerosol-generating substrate (1020), wherein the aerosol-generating substrate comprises homogenized plant material, wherein the homogenized plant material is at least 2.5% by weight on a dry weight basis. eucalyptus particles, an aerosol former, and a binder, wherein the aerosol-generating substrate 1020 ( 4020a , 4020b ) ( 5020 ) comprises: on a dry weight basis, at least 0.04 mg of eucalyptol per gram of substrate; at least 0.2 mg eucalyptin per gram of substrate, on a dry weight basis; and at least 0.2 mg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of substrate, on a dry weight basis.

Description

Novel aerosol generating device

The present invention relates to an aerosol-generating substrate comprising homogenized plant material formed from eucalyptus particles and to an aerosol-generating article comprising such aerosol-generating substrate. The invention also relates to an aerosol derived from an aerosol-generating substrate comprising eucalyptus particles.

Aerosol-generating articles in which an aerosol-generating substrate, such as a tobacco-containing substrate, are heated without burning are known in the art. Typically, in such articles, the aerosol is used for heat transfer from a heat source to a physically separate aerosol-generating substrate or material, which may be located in, in contact with, within, around, or downstream of a heat source. is caused by During use of an aerosol-generating article, volatile compounds are released from the substrate by heat transfer from a heat source and entrained in air drawn through the article. As the released compound cools, the compound condenses to form an aerosol.

Some aerosol-generating articles include flavoring agents that are delivered to the consumer during use of the article to provide a different sensory experience to the consumer, for example to enhance the flavor of the aerosol. Flavoring agents may be used to deliver a sense of taste (taste), a sense of smell (smell), or both taste and smell to a user inhaling the aerosol. It is known to provide heated aerosol-generating articles comprising a flavoring agent.

It is also known to provide a flavoring agent to conventional combustible cigarettes, which is smoked by lighting the end of the cigarette opposite the mouthpiece so that the tobacco rod burns and produces inhalable smoke. One or more flavoring agents are typically mixed with the tobacco in the tobacco rod to provide additional flavor to the mainstream smoke as the tobacco is burned. Such flavoring agents may be provided, for example, as essential oils.

Aerosols from conventional cigarettes, containing multiple components that interact with receptors located in the mouth, provide a feeling of "mouthfullness", ie, a relatively high mouthfeel. As used herein, “mouthfeel” refers to the physical feeling in the mouth caused by a food, beverage, or aerosol and is distinct from taste. In addition to taste and smell, it is a basic sensory attribute that determines the overall flavor of a food item or aerosol.

There are difficulties in replicating the consumer experience provided by conventional combustible cigarettes having an aerosol-generating article in which the aerosol-generating substrate is heated rather than combusted. This is in part due to the low temperatures reached during heating of such aerosol-generating articles, which result in different profiles of volatile compounds being released.

It would be desirable to provide novel aerosol-generating substrates for heated aerosol-generating articles that provide improved aerosols in flavor and mouthfeel. It would be particularly desirable if such aerosol-generating substrates could provide an aerosol with a sensory experience similar to that provided by conventional combustible cigarettes.

It would also be desirable to provide such aerosol-generating substrates that can be readily incorporated into aerosol-generating articles and can be manufactured using existing high-speed methods and devices.

According to the present invention, there is provided an aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol-generating substrate, said aerosol-generating substrate comprising homogenized plant material comprising eucalyptus particles. According to the present invention, the aerosol-generating substrate comprises, on a dry weight basis, at least 0.04 mg of eucalyptol per gram of said substrate; at least 0.2 mg eucalyptin per gram of the substrate, on a dry weight basis; and at least 0.2 mg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of the substrate on a dry weight basis.

According to the present invention, there is further provided an aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol-generating substrate, wherein the aerosol-generating substrate comprises homogenized plant material comprising eucalyptus particles. Upon heating of the aerosol-generating substrate according to Test Method A as described below, on a dry weight basis, at least 10 μg of eucalyptol per gram of the substrate; at least 10 μg eucalyptin per gram of the substrate on a dry weight basis; and at least 10 μg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of the substrate on a dry weight basis. According to the present invention, the amount of eucalyptol per gram of the substrate is not more than twice the amount of eucalyptol per gram of the substrate, and the amount of eucalyptol per gram of the substrate is 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of the substrate. less than twice

According to the present invention, there is further provided an aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol-generating substrate, the aerosol-generating substrate comprising a homogenized plant material comprising at least 2.5% by weight eucalyptus particles on a dry weight basis. .

According to the present invention, there is further provided an aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol-generating substrate, said aerosol-generating substrate comprising homogenized plant material, wherein upon heating of the aerosol-generating substrate according to test method A, an aerosol The aerosol generated from the generating substrate comprises: eucalyptol in an amount of at least 0.2 μg per puff of aerosol; eucalyptin in an amount of at least about 0.2 μg per puff of the aerosol; and 8-desmethyleucalyptin in an amount of at least 0.2 μg per puff of aerosol, wherein the puff of aerosol has a volume of 55 ml as generated by a smoking machine. According to the present invention, the amount of eucalyptol per puff is not more than twice the amount of eucalyptin per puff, and the amount of eucalyptol per gram of homogenized plant material is not more than twice the amount of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per puff.

According to the present invention, there is further provided an aerosol-generating substrate comprising homogenized plant material comprising eucalyptus particles. Upon heating of the aerosol-generating substrate according to test method A, on a dry weight basis, at least 10 μg of eucalyptol per gram of the aerosol-generating substrate; at least 10 μg eucalyptin per gram of aerosol-generating substrate on a dry weight basis; and at least 10 μg 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of the aerosol-generating substrate on a dry weight basis. According to the present invention, the amount of eucalyptol per gram of the aerosol-generating substrate is no more than twice the amount of eucalyptin per gram of the aerosol-generating substrate, and the amount of eucalyptol per gram of the aerosol-generating substrate is 8-des per gram of the aerosol-generating substrate. It is less than twice the amount of methyl eucalyptin.

According to the invention, generating an aerosol, comprising the steps of providing an aerosol-generating article according to the invention as defined above and heating an aerosol-generating substrate of said aerosol-generating article to a temperature in the range from 150 °C to 400 °C. A method of doing so is additionally provided.

The present invention further provides an aerosol generated upon heating of an aerosol-generating substrate, said aerosol comprising: eucalyptol in an amount of at least 0.2 μg per puff of aerosol; eucalyptin in an amount of at least about 0.2 μg per puff of the aerosol; and 8-desmethyleucalyptin in an amount of at least 0.2 μg per puff of aerosol, wherein the puff of aerosol has a volume of 55 ml as generated by the smoking machine of Test Method A. According to the present invention, the amount of eucalyptol per puff is not more than twice the amount of eucalyptin per puff, and the amount of eucalyptol per gram of homogenized plant material is not more than twice the amount of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per puff.

The present invention comprises the steps of forming a slurry comprising eucalyptus particles, optionally tobacco particles, water, a binder, and an aerosol former; casting or extruding the slurry in the form of sheets or strands; and drying the sheet or strand at 80° C. to 160° C., further providing a method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate. When a sheet of aerosol-generating substrate is formed, the sheet may optionally be cut into strands or gather the sheet to form a rod. The sheet may optionally be crimped prior to the assembling step.

Any references below to aerosol-generating substrates and aerosols of the present invention should be considered applicable to all aspects of the present invention, unless otherwise stated.

As used herein, the term "aerosol-generating article" refers to an article for generating an aerosol, wherein the article is suitable and intended to be heated or combusted to release a volatile compound capable of forming an aerosol It contains an aerosol-generating substrate. Conventional cigarettes catch fire when a user applies a flame to one end of the cigarette and draws air through the other end. The local heat provided by the flame and the oxygen in the air drawn through the cigarette cause the tip of the cigarette to ignite, and the resulting combustion produces inhalable smoke. In contrast, in a “heated aerosol-generating article,” the aerosol is generated by heating the aerosol-generating substrate and not by burning the aerosol-generating substrate. Known heated aerosol-generating articles include, for example, electrically heated aerosol-generating articles and aerosol-generating articles in which an aerosol is generated by heat transfer to an aerosol-generating substrate physically separated from a combustible fuel element or heat source.

Aerosol-generating articles configured for use in aerosol-generating systems for supplying an aerosol-forming agent to an aerosol-generating article are also known. In such systems, the aerosol-generating substrate in the aerosol-generating article contains substantially less aerosol-forming agent compared to an aerosol-generating substrate that carries and provides substantially all of the aerosol-forming agent used to form the aerosol during operation.

As used herein, the term “aerosol-generating substrate” refers to a substrate capable of generating, upon heating, a volatile compound capable of forming an aerosol. Aerosols generated from aerosol-generating substrates are visible to the naked eye and can include vapors (e.g., particulates of substances in the gaseous state that are normally liquid or solid at room temperature), as well as droplets of gases and condensed vapors. have.

As used herein, the term “homogenized plant material” encompasses any tobacco material formed by the agglomeration of particles of a plant. For example, the sheet or web of homogenized plant material for the aerosol-generating substrate of the present invention is a plant obtained by micronizing, milling or grinding eucalyptus plant material and optionally one or more of tobacco leaf stems and tobacco leaf stems. It may also be formed by agglomerating particles of a material. The homogenized plant material may be produced by casting, extrusion, a papermaking process, or any other suitable process known in the art.

As used herein, the term “eucalyptus particles” refers to particles derived from plants of the genus Eucalyptus, preferably E. globulus, E. radiata, E. citriodora. (E. citriodora) and E. smithii (E. smithii), most preferably E. globulus (E. globoulus), such as pulverized or eucalyptus leaf blades, and pulverized or powdered eucalyptus leaf stems. Eucalyptus leaf particles are made exclusively from the leaves of the eucalyptus plant. Eucalyptus stem particles are produced only from the stem of the leaves of the eucalyptus plant. The eucalyptus particles in the aerosol-generating substrate of the present invention may include eucalyptus leaf particles, eucalyptus stem particles, or any one of eucalyptus leaf particles and eucalyptus stem particles.

In contrast, eucalyptus essential oil is a distillate and eucalyptol is a compound derived from eucalyptus. They are not considered eucalyptus particles and are not included in the percentage of particulate plant material.

The present invention provides an aerosol-generating substrate formed of homogenized plant material comprising eucalyptus particles and an aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol derived from such aerosol-generating substrate. The inventors of the present invention have discovered that, through the incorporation of eucalyptus particles into an aerosol-generating substrate, it is advantageously possible to generate an aerosol that provides a novel sensory experience. Such aerosols may provide a unique flavor and provide increased levels of mouthfeel.

The inventors have also found that it is advantageously possible to create an aerosol having an improved eucalyptus aroma and flavor compared to aerosols produced through the addition of eucalyptus additives such as eucalyptus oil. Eucalyptus oil is distilled from the leaves of the eucalyptus plant and has a flavoring composition that differs from the eucalyptus particles, possibly due to a distillation process that can selectively remove or retain certain flavoring agents. Also, in certain aerosol-generating substrates provided herein, eucalyptus particles may be included at a level sufficient to provide the desired eucalyptus flavor while maintaining sufficient tobacco material to provide the desired level of nicotine to the consumer.

Moreover, surprisingly, it was found that the inclusion of eucalyptus particles in an aerosol-generating substrate provides a significant reduction in certain undesirable aerosol compounds compared to an aerosol produced from an aerosol-generating substrate comprising 100% tobacco particles free of eucalyptus particles. was found

The flavor released by eucalyptus is due to the presence of one or more volatile flavoring agents that are volatilized upon heating and delivered as an aerosol. Eucalyptol (1-8-cineol, chemical formula: C10H18O, Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number 470-82-6) is typically from about 62.4% to about 82.2% eucalyptus essential oil (CAS number 8000-) by mass. 48-4). Besides eucalyptus, eucalyptus contains terpineol, sesquiterpene alcohol, various fatty aldehydes, isoamyl alcohol, ethanol and terpenes (Fenaroli's Handbook of Flavour Ingredients, 6th Ed./ George A. Burdock, 2010. ISBN 978-1 -4200-9077-2).

The presence of eucalyptus in homogenized plant material (eg cast leaf) can be positively confirmed by DNA barcoding. Methods for performing DNA barcodes based on the nuclear gene ITS2, rbcL and matK systems as well as the plastid intergenic spacer trnH-psbA are well known and available in the art (Chen S, Yao H, Han J, Liu C, Song). J, et al. (2010) Validation of the ITS2 Region as a Novel DNA Barcode for Identifying Medicinal Plant Species.PLoSONE 5(1): e8613; Hollingsworth PM, Graham SW, Little DP (2011) Choosing and Using a Plant DNA Barcode.PLoS ONE 6(5): e19254).

We present a complex analysis and characterization of aerosols generated from aerosol-generating substrates of the present invention comprising eucalyptus particles and a mixture of eucalyptus and tobacco particles, and using these aerosols to generate conventional aerosols formed from tobacco material free of eucalyptus particles. Comparisons were made with those generated from the substrate. Based on this, we were able to identify a group of "characteristic compounds" that are present in the aerosol and are compounds derived from eucalyptus particles. Thus, detection of these characteristic compounds in the aerosol within a range of specific weight ratios can be used to identify aerosols derived from aerosol-generating substrates containing eucalyptus particles. These characteristic compounds are not particularly present in aerosols generated from tobacco material. In addition, the proportions of the characteristic compounds in the aerosol and the proportions of the characteristic compounds to each other clearly indicate the use of eucalyptus plant material and not eucalyptus oil. Likewise, the presence of these characteristic compounds in certain proportions in the aerosol-generating substrate indicates that the substrate contains eucalyptus particles.

Defined levels of characteristic compounds in the substrate and in the aerosol are specific for the eucalyptus particles present in the homogenized plant material. The level of each characteristic compound depends on how the eucalyptus particles have been processed during the production of the homogenized plant material. The level also depends on the composition of the homogenized plant material and will in particular be affected by the levels of other components in the homogenized plant material. The level of the characteristic compound in the homogenized plant material will be different from the level of the same compound in the starting eucalyptus material. It will also differ from the level of characteristic compounds in the material containing the eucalyptus particles, but not according to the invention as defined herein.

To perform the characterization of the aerosol, we combined high-resolution precision mass spectrometry coupled to two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC-TOFMS) coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC-TOFMS). Complementary non-targeted differential screening (NTDS) was used using liquid chromatography (LC-HRAM-MS).

Non-targeted screening (NTS) can be accomplished by matching unknown detected compound characteristics to a spectral database (Suspect Screening Analysis [SSA]), or where prior knowledge is not matched, e.g. phosphorus from a compound database. A key methodology to characterize the chemical composition of complex matrices by elucidating unknown structures (non-targeted analysis [NTA]) using in silico predicted fragments and consistent primary fragmentation (MS/MS) derivative information to be. An unbiased approach can be used to simultaneously measure and semi-quantify large numbers of small molecules from a sample.

As noted above, the focus is on comparing two or more aerosol samples to assess in an unsupervised manner any significant difference in chemical composition between the samples, or when group-related preliminary knowledge is available between the samples. , non-targeted differential screening (NTDS) can be performed. Comprehensive analysis to identify the most relevant differences in aerosol composition between an aerosol derived from an article comprising 100 wt % eucalyptus as particulate plant material and an aerosol derived from an article comprising 100 wt % tobacco as particulate plant material Liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution precision mass spectrometry (LC-HRAM-MS) in parallel with two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC-TOFMS) coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry to ensure ) was used to apply a complementary differential screening approach.

Aerosols were generated and collected using the apparatus and methodology detailed below.

LC-HRAM-MS analysis was performed using a Thermo QExactive™ high-resolution mass spectrometer in both full scan mode and data dependent mode. Collectively, three different methods were applied to cover a wide range of materials with different ionization properties and compound classes. Samples were analyzed using RP chromatography using heated electrospray ionization (HESI) in both positive and negative mode and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) in positive mode. The methods are described in Arndt, D. et al., “Indepth characterization of chemical differences between heat-not-burn tobacco products and cigarettes using LC-HRAM-MS-based non-targeted differential screening” (DOI:10.13140/ RG.2.2.11752.16643); Wachsmuth, C. et al., “Comprehensive chemical characterization of complex matrices through integration of multiple analytical modes and databases for LC-HRAM-MS-based non-targeted screening” (DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.12701.61927); and “Buchholz, C. et al., “Increasing confidence for compound identification by fragmentation database and in silico fragmentation comparison with LC-HRAM-MS-based non-targeted screening of complex matrices” (DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.17944.49927), all from the 66th ASMS Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, San Diego, USA (2018).

GCxGC-TOFMS analysis was performed using an Agilent GC Model 6890A or 7890A equipped with an automatic liquid injector (Model 7683B) and a thermal modulator coupled to a LECO Pegasus 4D™ mass spectrometer in three different methods for non-polar, polar and highly volatile compounds in aerosols. was carried out using The methods are described in Almstetter et al., “Non-targeted screening using GC×GC-TOFMS for in-depth chemical characterization of aerosol from a heat-not-burn tobacco product” (DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2. 36010.31688/1); and Almstetter et al., “Non-targeted differential screening of complex matrices using GC×GC-TOFMS for comprehensive characterization of the chemical composition and determination of significant differences” (DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.32692.55680), from the 66th and 64th ASMS Conferences on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics, San Diego, USA, respectively.

The results of the analytical methods provided information on the key compounds responsible for the differences in aerosols generated by these articles. The focus of the non-targeted differential screening using both the analytical platforms LC-HRAM-MS and GCxGC-TOFMS is according to the present invention, which contains 100% eucalyptus particles compared to a comparative sample of the aerosol-generating substrate containing 100% tobacco particles. There were compounds present in higher amounts in the aerosol of the sample of the aerosol-generating substrate. The NTDS methodology is described in the papers listed above.

Based on this information, we were able to identify certain compounds in the aerosol that could be considered as “characteristic compounds” derived from eucalyptus particles in the substrate. Characteristic compounds unique to eucalyptus include, but are not limited to, eucalyptin, 8-desmethyleucalyptin and eucalyptol. For the purposes of the present invention, targeted screening can be performed on a sample of an aerosol-generating substrate to identify the presence and amount of each of the characteristic compounds in the substrate. Such targeted screening methods are described below. As described, characteristic compounds can be detected and measured in both aerosol-generating substrates and aerosols derived from aerosol-generating substrates.

As defined above, the aerosol-generating article of the present invention comprises an aerosol-generating substrate formed of a homogenized plant material comprising eucalyptus particles. As a result of inclusion of eucalyptus particles, the aerosol-generating substrate contains a certain proportion of "characteristic compounds" of eucalyptus, as described above. In particular, the aerosol-generating substrate comprises, on a dry weight basis, at least about 0.04 mg eucalyptol per gram of substrate, at least about 0.2 mg eucalyptin per gram of substrate, and at least about 0.2 mg 8-desmethyleucal per gram of substrate. Contains Liptin.

An aerosol-generating substrate can be defined for a desired level of a characteristic compound to ensure consistency between products despite potential differences in the level of the characteristic compound in the raw material. This advantageously allows the quality of the product to be controlled more effectively.

Preferably, the aerosol-generating substrate comprises, on a dry weight basis, at least about 0.1 mg of eucalyptol per gram of substrate, more preferably at least about 0.5 mg of eucalyptol per gram of substrate. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol-generating substrate preferably contains no more than about 4 mg eucalyptol per gram of substrate, more preferably no greater than about 2 mg eucalyptol per gram of substrate, more preferably no greater than about 1 mg per gram of substrate. contains eucalyptol. For example, the aerosol-generating substrate may contain, on a dry weight basis, from about 0.04 mg to about 4 mg eucalyptol per gram of substrate, or from about 0.1 mg to about 2 mg eucalyptol per gram of substrate, or about 0.5 per gram of substrate. mg to about 1 mg of eucalyptol.

Preferably, the aerosol-generating substrate comprises, on a dry weight basis, at least about 2 mg of eucaliptin per gram of substrate, more preferably at least about 4 mg of eucaliptin per gram of substrate. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol-generating substrate preferably contains about 8 mg or less of eucaliptin per gram of substrate, more preferably about 7 mg or less of eucaliptin per gram of substrate, more preferably about 6 mg or less per gram of substrate. contains eucalyptin. For example, the aerosol-generating substrate may contain, on a dry weight basis, from about 0.2 mg to about 8 mg eucalyptin per gram of substrate, or from about 2 mg to about 7 mg eucaliptin per gram of substrate, or from about 4 mg to gram of substrate. It may also contain about 6 mg of eucalyptin.

Preferably, the aerosol-generating substrate comprises, on a dry weight basis, at least about 2 mg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of substrate, more preferably at least about 4 mg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of substrate. . Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol-generating substrate preferably contains no more than about 8 mg of 8-desmethyleucaliptin per gram of substrate, more preferably no greater than about 7 mg of 8-desmethyleucaliptin per gram of substrate, and more preferably preferably contains no more than about 6 mg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of base. For example, the aerosol-generating substrate may contain, on a dry weight basis, from about 0.2 mg to about 8 mg of 8-desmethyleucaliptin per gram of substrate, or from about 2 mg to about 7 mg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of substrate, or from about 4 mg to about 6 mg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of substrate.

Preferably, the ratio of the characteristic compounds in the aerosol-generating substrate is such that, on a dry weight basis, the amount of eucalyptin per gram of substrate is at least three times the amount of eucalyptol per gram of substrate, more preferably, eucalypt per gram of substrate. It should be at least 4 times the amount of lyptol. Alternatively or additionally, on a dry weight basis, the amount of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of substrate is at least three times the amount of eucalyptol per gram of substrate. The presence of eucalyptin and 8-desmethyleucalyptin at significantly higher levels than eucalyptol is an inclusive feature of eucalyptus particles. In contrast, eucalyptus oil contains levels of eucalyptol that are significantly higher than those of eucalyptin and 8-desmethyleucalyptin.

As defined above, the present invention also provides an aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol-generating substrate formed of a homogenized plant material comprising eucalyptus particles, wherein upon heating the aerosol-generating substrate, the “features of the eucalyptus An aerosol containing “a chemical compound” is generated.

For the purposes of the present invention, the aerosol-generating substrate is heated according to “Test Method A”. In Test Method A, an aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol-generating substrate is heated in a Tobacco Heating System 2.2 holder (THS2.2 holder) under the Department of Health Canada mechanical smoking regime.

Tobacco heating system 2.2 holder (THS2.2 holder) is described in Smith et al., 2016, Regul. Toxicol. Pharmacol. 81 (S2) corresponds to a commercially available iQOS device (Philip Morris Products SA, Switzerland) as described in S82-S92.

Health Canada Smoking Framework is a well-defined and accepted smoking protocol in Health Canada 2000 - Tobacco Product Information Regulation SOR/2000-273, Schedule 2; Published by Ministry of Justice Canada. The test method is described in ISO/TR 19478-1:2014. In the Health Canada Smoking Test, aerosols are collected from sample aerosol-generating substrates over 12 puffs with a puff volume of 55 mm, a puff duration of 2 seconds, and a puff interval of 30 seconds, with all ventilation turned off if any. .

Thus, in the context of the present invention, the expression “on heating of an aerosol-generating substrate according to Test Method A” refers to Health Canada 2000 - Tobacco Products Information Regulation SOR/2000-273, Schedule 2 issued by the Canadian Ministry of Justice; The test method is described in ISO/TR 19478-1:2014- means upon heating an aerosol-generating substrate in a THS2.2 holder of Health Canada Machine Smoking Therapy as defined in ISO/TR 19478-1:2014.

For the assay, the aerosol generated from heating the aerosol-generating substrate is captured using an appropriate device, depending on the assay method to be used.

In a suitable method for generating a sample for analysis by LC-HRAM-MS, the particulate phase is captured by a conditioned 44 mm Cambridge glass fiber filter pad (according to ISO 3308) and a filter holder (according to ISO 4387 and ISO 3308). do. Using a continuous micro-impinger (20 mL) containing methanol and an internal standard (ISTD) solution (10 mL) each, the residual gas phase was maintained at -60 °C using a dry ice-isopropanol mixture. Collect downstream from the filter pad. The entrapped particulate and gas phases are then recombined and the sample is shaken, vortexed for 5 min, centrifuged (4500 g, 5 min, 10° C.) and extracted using methanol from a micro impinger. The resulting extract is diluted with methanol and mixed in an Eppendorf ThermoMixer (5° C., 2000 rpm). Test samples from extracts are analyzed by LC-HRAM-MS in a combined full scan mode and data dependent fragmentation mode for identification of characteristic compounds. For the purposes of the present invention, LC-HRAM-MS analysis is suitable for the identification and quantification of eucalyptin and 8-desmethyleucalyptin.

Samples for analysis by GCxGC-TOFMS can be generated in a similar manner, but for GCxGC-TOFMS analysis, different solvents are suitable for extracting and analyzing polar, non-polar and volatile compounds isolated from the total aerosol do.

For non-polar and polar compounds, the entire aerosol is collected using a conditioned 44 mm Cambridge glass fiber filter pad (according to ISO 3308) and filter holder (according to ISO 4387 and ISO 3308), followed by two micro-impingers. Connect in series and seal. Each micro-impinger (20 mL) contains 10 mL dichloromethane/methanol (80:20 v/v) containing internal standard (ISTD) and retention index marker (RIM) compounds. The micro-impingers are maintained at -80°C using a dry ice-isopropanol mixture. For the analysis of non-polar compounds, the particulate phase of the entire aerosol is extracted from a glass fiber filter pad using the contents of a micro-impinger. Water is added to an aliquot (10 mL) of the resulting extract, shaken the sample and centrifuged as described above. The dichloromethane layer is separated, dried over sodium sulfate and analyzed by GCxGC-TOFMS in full scan mode. For the analysis of polar compounds, the remaining water layer from the non-polar sample preparation described above is used. ISTD and RIM compounds are added to the water layer and then directly analyzed by GCxGC-TOFMS in full scan mode.

For volatile compounds, the entire aerosol is collected using two micro-impingers (20 mL) connected in series and sealed, each filled with 10 mL N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) containing ISTD and RIM compounds. . The micro-impingers are maintained at -50 to -60°C using a dry ice-isopropanol mixture. After collection, the contents of the two micro-impingers are combined and analyzed by GCxGC-TOFMS in full scan mode.

For the purposes of the present invention, GCxGC-TOFMS analysis is suitable for the identification and quantification of eucalyptol.

The aerosol generated upon heating of the aerosol-generating substrate of the invention according to test method A is characterized by the amounts and proportions of the characteristic compounds, eucalyptol, eucalyptin and 8-desmethyleucalyptin, as defined above .

According to the present invention, the aerosol comprises, on a dry weight basis, at least 10 mg of eucalyptol per gram of the aerosol-generating substrate, at least 10 mg of eucalyptin per gram of the aerosol-generating substrate, and at least 10 mg of eucalyptin per gram of the aerosol-generating substrate. are doing

The above ranges define each amount of the characteristic compound in the aerosol generated per gram of the aerosol-generating substrate (also referred to herein as “substrate”). This corresponds to the total amount of characteristic compound measured in the aerosol collected during Test Method A divided by the dry weight of the aerosol-generating substrate prior to heating.

Preferably, the aerosol generated from an aerosol-generating substrate according to the present invention comprises at least about 50 μg eucalyptol per gram of substrate, more preferably at least about 200 μg eucalyptol per gram of substrate. Alternatively, or additionally, an aerosol generated from an aerosol-generating substrate may contain at most about 750 μg eucalyptol per gram of substrate, preferably at most about 600 μg eucalyptol per gram of substrate, and more preferably at most It contains about 450 μg of eucalyptol. For example, an aerosol generated from an aerosol-generating substrate may contain from about 10 μg to about 750 μg eucalyptol per gram of substrate, or from about 50 μg to about 600 μg eucalyptol per gram of substrate, or from about 200 μg to about 450 μg per gram of substrate. It may contain eucalyptol.

Preferably, the aerosol generated from an aerosol-generating substrate according to the present invention comprises at least about 50 μg eucaliptin per gram of substrate, more preferably at least about 200 μg eucaliptin per gram of substrate. Alternatively, or additionally, the aerosol generated from the aerosol-generating substrate may contain at most about 750 μg eucaliptin per gram of substrate, preferably at most about 600 μg eucaliptin per gram of substrate, and more preferably at most per gram of substrate. It contains about 450 μg of eucalyptin. For example, an aerosol generated from an aerosol-generating substrate may contain from about 10 μg to about 750 μg eucaliptin per gram of substrate, or from about 50 μg to about 600 μg eucaliptin per gram of substrate, or from about 200 μg to about 450 μg per gram of substrate. It may contain eucalyptin.

Preferably, the aerosol generated from an aerosol-generating substrate according to the present invention comprises at least about 50 μg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of substrate, more preferably at least about 200 μg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of substrate. contains Alternatively, or additionally, the aerosol generated from the aerosol-generating substrate may contain up to about 750 μg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of substrate, preferably up to about 600 μg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of substrate, and more Preferably, it contains up to about 450 μg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of substrate. For example, an aerosol generated from an aerosol-generating substrate may contain from about 10 μg to about 750 μg of 8-desmethyleucaliptin per gram of substrate, or from about 50 μg to about 600 μg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of substrate, or of the substrate. about 200 μg to about 450 μg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram.

According to the present invention, the aerosol generated from the aerosol-generating substrate during Test Method A has an amount of eucalyptol per gram of substrate that is not more than twice the amount of eucalyptin per gram of substrate. Therefore, the ratio of eucalyptol to eucalyptin is 2:1 or less.

Preferably, the amount of eucalyptol per gram of substrate is no more than 1.5 times the amount of eucalyptin per gram of substrate, so that the ratio of eucalyptol to eucalyptin is no more than 1.5:1. More preferably, the amount of eucalyptol per gram of substrate is not more than 1.2 times the amount of eucalypt per gram of substrate, so that the ratio of eucalyptol to eucalyptin is not more than 1.2:1. More preferably, the amount of eucalyptol per gram of substrate is less than or equal to the amount of eucalyptol per gram of substrate, so that the ratio of eucalyptol to eucalyptin is less than or equal to 1:1.

According to the present invention, the aerosol generated from the aerosol-generating substrate during Test Method A has an amount of eucalyptol per gram of substrate that is not more than twice the amount of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of substrate. Therefore, the ratio of eucalyptol to 8-desmethyleucalyptin is 2:1 or less.

Preferably, the amount of eucalyptol per gram of substrate is no more than 1.5 times the amount of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of substrate, such that the ratio of eucalyptol to 8-desmethyleucalyptin is no more than 1.5:1. More preferably, the amount of eucalyptol per gram of substrate is not more than 1.2 times the amount of eucalyptol per gram of substrate, so that the ratio of eucalyptol to 8-desmethyleucalyptin is not more than 1.2:1. More preferably, the amount of eucalyptol per gram of substrate is less than or equal to the amount of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of substrate, such that the ratio of eucalyptol to 8-desmethyleucalyptin is less than or equal to 1:1.

Preferably, the ratio of eucaliptin to 8-desmethyleucaliptin in the aerosol is about 1.2:1 to 1:1.

A defined ratio of eucalyptol to eucalyptin and 8-desmethyleucalyptin characterizes the aerosol derived from eucalyptus particles. In contrast, in an aerosol produced from eucalyptus oil, the ratio of eucalyptol to eucalyptin and the ratio of eucalyptol to 8-desmethyleucalyptin will be significantly greater than 2:1. This is due to the relatively high proportion of eucalyptol in eucalyptus oil compared to eucalyptus plant material.

Aerosols generated from an aerosol-generating substrate according to the present invention during Test Method A may contain at least about 5 mg of aerosol former per gram of aerosol-generating substrate, or at least about 10 mg of aerosol per gram of substrate, or at least about 15 mg per gram of substrate. It may further comprise an aerosol former. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol may comprise up to about 30 mg of aerosol former per gram of substrate, or up to about 25 mg of aerosol former per gram of substrate, or up to about 20 mg of aerosol former per gram of substrate. . For example, the aerosol may contain from about 5 mg to about 30 mg of aerosol former per gram of substrate, or from about 10 mg to about 25 mg of aerosol former per gram of substrate, or from about 15 mg to about 20 mg of aerosol former per gram of substrate. may include In an alternative embodiment, the aerosol may comprise less than 5 mg of aerosol former per gram of substrate. This may be appropriate, for example, if the aerosol former is provided separately within the aerosol-generating article or aerosol-generating device.

Suitable aerosol formers for use in the present invention are set forth below.

Various methods known in the art can be applied to determine the amount of aerosol former.

Preferably, the aerosol generated from the aerosol-generating substrate according to the invention during test method A is at least about 0.1 μg nicotine per gram of substrate, more preferably at least about 1 μg nicotine per gram of substrate, more preferably and further comprising at least about 2 μg of nicotine per gram of substrate. Preferably, the aerosol comprises at most about 10 μg nicotine per gram of substrate, more preferably at most about 7.5 μg nicotine per gram of substrate, more preferably at most about 4 μg nicotine per gram of substrate. For example, the aerosol may comprise from about 0.1 μg to about 10 μg nicotine per gram of substrate, from about 1 μg to about 7.5 μg nicotine per gram of substrate, or from about 2 μg to about 4 μg nicotine per gram of substrate. In some embodiments of the invention, the aerosol may contain 0 μg of nicotine.

Various methods known in the art can be applied to determine the amount of nicotine in the aerosol.

Alternatively or additionally, an aerosol produced from an aerosol-generating substrate according to the present invention during test method A may optionally contain at least about 20 mg of cannabinoid compound per gram of substrate, more preferably at least about 50 mg per gram of substrate. cannabinoid compound, more preferably at least about 100 mg of cannabinoid compound per gram of substrate. Preferably, the aerosol comprises at most about 250 mg of cannabinoid compound per gram of substrate, more preferably at most about 200 mg of cannabinoid compound per gram of substrate, more preferably at most about 150 mg of cannabinoid compound per gram of substrate. . For example, the aerosol may contain from about 20 mg to about 250 mg of cannabinoid compound per gram of substrate, or from about 50 mg to about 200 mg of cannabinoid compound per gram of substrate, or from about 100 mg to about 150 mg of cannabinoid compound per gram of substrate. have. In some embodiments of the present invention, the aerosol may contain 0 μg of a cannabinoid compound.

Preferably, the cannabinoid compound is selected from CBD and THC. More preferably, the cannabinoid compound is CBD.

Various methods known in the art can be applied to determine the amount of cannabinoid compounds in the aerosol.

Carbon monoxide may be present in the aerosol generated from the aerosol-generating substrate according to the invention during test method A, and may be measured and used to further characterize the aerosol. Oxides of nitrogen, such as nitrogen oxides and nitrogen dioxide, can also be present in aerosols and can be measured and used to further characterize aerosols.

As noted above, the presence of a characteristic compound in the aerosol in defined amounts and proportions indicates the inclusion of eucalyptus particles in the homogenized plant material forming the aerosol-generating substrate.

Preferably, the aerosol-generating substrate according to the present invention comprises homogenized plant material comprising, on a dry weight basis, at least about 2.5% by weight of eucalyptus particles. Preferably, the particulate plant material comprises, on a dry weight basis, at least about 5% by weight of the eucalyptus particles, more preferably at least about 10% by weight of the eucalyptus particles, more preferably at least about 15% by weight of the eucalyptus particles, more preferably preferably at least about 20% by weight of the eucalyptus particles, more preferably at least about 30% by weight of the eucalyptus particles.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, the plant particles forming the homogenized plant material comprise, based on the dry weight of the plant particles, at least 98% by weight of eucalyptus particles or at least 95% by weight of eucalyptus particles or at least 90% by weight It may contain eucalyptus particles. Thus, in such embodiments, the aerosol-generating substrate comprises eucalyptus particles substantially free of other plant particles.

In alternative embodiments of the present invention, the homogenized plant material may comprise eucalyptus particles in combination with at least one of tobacco particles or cannabis particles, as described below.

In the following description of the present invention, the term “particulate plant material” is used to refer collectively to the particles of plant material used to form the homogenized plant material. The particulate plant material may consist essentially of eucalyptus particles, or it may be tobacco particles, cannabis particles, or a mixture of eucalyptus particles with both tobacco particles and cannabis particles.

The homogenized plant material may comprise up to about 95% by weight, on a dry weight basis, of eucalyptus particles. Preferably, the homogenized plant material comprises, on a dry weight basis, up to about 90% by weight of eucalyptus particles, more preferably up to about 80% by weight of eucalyptus particles, more preferably up to about 70% by weight of eucalyptus particles, more Preferably at most about 60% by weight of eucalyptus particles, more preferably at most about 50% by weight of eucalyptus particles.

For example, the homogenized plant material may contain, on a dry weight basis, from about 2.5% to about 95% eucalyptus particles by weight, or from about 5% to about 90% eucalyptus particles, or from about 10% to about 80% eucalyptus particles by weight. % eucalyptus particles, or from about 15% to about 70% eucalyptus particles by weight, or from about 20% to about 60% eucalyptus particles by weight, or from about 30% to about 50% eucalyptus particles by weight. have.

As mentioned above, the inventors have identified a number of "characteristic compounds", which represent compounds characteristic of eucalyptus plants and thus include eucalyptus plant particles in an aerosol-generating substrate.

It is expected that the amount of the characteristic compound present in the pure eucalyptus particles will differ from the amount present in the aerosol-generating substrate. The process of preparing the substrate, which includes hydration in a slurry or suspension, and drying at high temperature, and the presence of other ingredients, including aerosol formers and binders, will differentially alter the amount of each characteristic compound. The integrity of the eucalyptus particles and the stability of the compound under temperature and subjected to manipulation during manufacture will also affect the final amount of characteristic compound present in the substrate. Accordingly, it is contemplated that after the eucalyptus particles are incorporated into a substrate in various physical forms, for example, sheets, strands and granules, the ratios of the characteristic compounds to each other will be different.

The presence of eucalyptus in the aerosol-generating substrate and the proportion of eucalyptus provided in the aerosol-generating substrate can be determined by measuring the amount of the characteristic compound in the substrate and comparing it to the corresponding amount of the characteristic compound in the pure eucalyptus material. The presence and amount of a characteristic compound can be accomplished using any suitable technique, known to those skilled in the art.

In a suitable technique, 250 mg of aerosol-generating substrate sample is mixed with 5 ml of methanol, shaken and vortexed for 5 minutes, and extracted by centrifugation (4500 g, 5 minutes, 10° C.). An aliquot of the extract (300 μL) is transferred to a silanized chromatography vial and diluted with methanol (600 μL) and an internal standard (ISTD) solution (100 μL). Close the vial and mix for 5 min using an Eppendorf ThermoMixer (5° C.; 2000 rpm). Test samples from the resulting extracts are analyzed by LC-HRAM-MS in a combined full scan mode and data dependent fragmentation mode for identification of characteristic compounds.

Preferably, the homogenized plant material further comprises up to about 92% by weight of tobacco particles on a dry weight basis.

For example, the homogenized plant material preferably comprises from about 10% to about 92% by weight of tobacco particles, more preferably from about 20% to about 90% by weight of tobacco particles, more preferably from about 30% to about 30% by weight of tobacco particles. to about 85% by weight of tobacco particles, more preferably from about 40% to about 80% by weight of tobacco particles, and more preferably from about 50% to about 70% by weight of tobacco particles.

The weight ratio of eucalyptus particles and tobacco particles in the particulate plant material forming the homogenized plant material can be varied depending on the desired flavor characteristics and the composition of the aerosol.

Preferably, the ratio of eucalyptus particles to tobacco particles is about 1:4 or less, more preferably about 1:5 or less, more preferably about 1:6 or less, more preferably about 1:7 or less, more preferably preferably about 1:8 or less. In one particularly preferred embodiment, the homogenized plant material comprises a 1:4 weight ratio of eucalyptus particles to tobacco particles, corresponding to the particulate plant material consisting of about 20% by weight of eucalyptus particles and about 80% by weight of tobacco particles. are doing For homogenized plant material formed of about 75% by weight of particulate plant material, this corresponds to about 15% by weight of eucalyptus particles and about 60% by weight of tobacco particles in the homogenized plant material on a dry weight basis.

In another embodiment, the homogenized plant material comprises a 1:9 weight ratio of eucalyptus particles to tobacco particles. In another embodiment, the homogenized plant material comprises a 1:30 weight ratio of eucalyptus particles to tobacco particles.

With reference to the present invention, the term “tobacco particles” describes particles of any plant member of the genus Nicotiana. The term “tobacco particles” includes ground or powdered tobacco leaf, ground or powdered tobacco leaf stem, tobacco powder, tobacco fines, and other particulate tobacco by-products formed during the processing, handling and shipping of tobacco. In a preferred embodiment, the tobacco particles are derived substantially entirely from tobacco leaf blades. In contrast, isolated nicotine and nicotine salts are derived from tobacco, but are not considered tobacco particles for the purposes of the present invention and are not included in the percentage of particulate plant material.

Tobacco particles may be prepared from one or more tobacco plant varieties. Any type of tobacco may be used in the blend. Examples of types of tobacco that may be used include sun-cured tobacco, flue-cured tobacco, Burley tobacco, Maryland tobacco, Oriental tobacco, Virginia tobacco, and other specialty cigarettes.

Fire drying is a method of drying tobacco, especially for Virginia tobacco. During the fire-drying process, heated air is circulated through the densely packed tobacco. During the first stage, the tobacco leaves turn yellow and wither. During the second stage, the leaf body is completely dried. During the third stage, the leaf stems are completely dried.

Burley tobacco plays an important role in many tobacco blends. Burley tobacco has a unique flavor and aroma, and also has the ability to absorb large amounts of the case.

Oriental is a type of tobacco with small leaves and high aromatic qualities. However, Oriental tobacco has a milder flavor than, for example, Burley. In general, oriental tobacco is used in relatively small proportions in tobacco blends.

Kasturi, Madura, and Jatim are subtypes of the two types of tobacco available. Preferably, Kasturi tobacco and smoked tobacco can be used in the blend to produce tobacco particles. Accordingly, the tobacco particles in the particulate plant material may comprise a blend of Kasturi tobacco and smoked tobacco.

The tobacco particles may have a nicotine content of at least about 2.5% by weight on a dry weight basis. More preferably, the tobacco particles have a nicotine content of at least about 3%, even more preferably at least about 3.2%, even more preferably at least about 3.5%, most preferably at least about 4%, by dry weight. can have Where the aerosol-generating substrate contains tobacco particles in combination with eucalyptus particles, a cigarette with a higher nicotine content is desirable to maintain a similar level of nicotine compared to a typical aerosol-generating substrate without eucalyptus particles, which would otherwise be a tobacco particle containing eucalyptus particles. This is because the total amount of nicotine will be reduced due to substitution with particles.

Although nicotine will be considered a non-tobacco substance for the purposes of this invention, nicotine may optionally be included in the aerosol-generating substrate. The nicotine may comprise one or more nicotine salts selected from the list consisting of nicotine lactate, nicotine citrate, nicotine pyruvate, nicotine bitartrate, nicotine benzoate, nicotine pectate, nicotine alginate, and nicotine salicylate. The nicotine may be incorporated in addition to the low nicotine content tobacco, or the nicotine may be incorporated into the reduced tobacco content aerosol-generating substrate.

Alternatively or additionally to the incorporation of tobacco particles into the homogenized plant material of the aerosol-generating substrate according to the present invention, the homogenized plant material may comprise up to 92% by weight, on a dry weight basis, of cannabis particles. The term "Cannabis (cannabis) particles" is Cannabis Sativa, Cannabis Indica (Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica), and Cannabis Base refers to the particles of the Cannabis plant, such as less deral (Cannabis ruderalis) species.

For example, the particulate plant material comprises from about 10% to about 92% by weight of cannabis particles, more preferably from about 20% to about 90% by weight of tobacco particles, more preferably from about 30% to about 85% by weight of cannabis particles. weight percent tobacco particles, more preferably from about 40 weight percent to about 80 weight percent tobacco particles, more preferably from about 50 weight percent to about 70 weight percent tobacco particles.

One or more cannabinoid compounds may optionally be included in the aerosol-generating substrate, but for the purposes of this invention it will be considered as a non-cannabis material. As used herein with reference to the present invention, the term "cannabinoid compound" refers to a cannabis plant - i.e. cannabis. sativa , cannabis indica and cannabis Lu will be described deral less any one of (Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica and Cannabis ruderalis) naturally-occurring class of compounds is found in some of the species. Cannabinoid compounds are particularly concentrated in female flower heads and are commonly marketed as cannabis oil. Cannabinoid compounds that occur naturally in cannabis plants include tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). In the context of the present invention, the term “cannabinoid compound” is used to describe both naturally occurring cannabinoid compounds and synthetically produced cannabinoid compounds.

For example, the aerosol-generating substrate may be tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidiol (CBD), cannaviric acid (CBDA), cannabinol (CBN), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabigerol monomethyl ether (CBGM), cannabivarine (CBV), cannabidivarin (CBDV), tetrahydrocannabivarine (THCV), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabicyclol (CBL), cannabichromevarin (CBCV), cannabigerovarin (CBGV), cannabielsoin (CBE), cannabicitran (CBT), and combinations thereof can

The homogenized plant material may further comprise a proportion of other plant flavor particles in addition to the combination of eucalyptus particles with at least one of eucalyptus particles or tobacco particles and cannabis particles (“particulate plant material”).

For the purposes of the present invention, the term “other plant flavor particles” refers to particles of non-eucalyptus, non-tobacco and non-cannabis plant material that are capable of generating one or more flavoring agents upon heating. This term should be considered to exclude particles of inert plant material, such as cellulose, which do not contribute to the sensory outcome of the aerosol-generating substrate. The particles may be derived from crushed or powdered leaf bodies, fruits, stems, leaf stems, roots, seeds, buds or barks from other plants. Suitable plant flavor particles for inclusion in aerosol-generating substrates according to the present invention will be known to those skilled in the art and include, but are not limited to, clove particles and tea particles.

The composition of the homogenized plant material can advantageously be adjusted through combination of the desired amounts and types of different plant particles. This allows, if desired, the aerosol-generating substrate to be formed from a single homogenized plant material, without the need for combination or mixing of different blends, as is the case for example in the manufacture of conventional cut fillers. Thus, the manufacture of the aerosol-generating substrate can potentially be simplified.

The particulate plant material used in the aerosol-generating substrates of the present invention can be adapted to provide a desired particle size distribution. The particle size distribution herein is referred to as the D-value, and thus the D-value refers to the percentage of particles by number having a diameter less than or equal to a given D-value. For example, in a D95 particle size distribution, 95% of the particles by number have a diameter less than or equal to a given D95 value, and 5% of the particles by number have a diameter greater than a given D95 value.

The particulate plant material may have a D95 value of 20 μm or greater to a D95 value of 300 μm or less. This means that the particulate plant material can have a distribution denoted by any D95 value within a given range, i.e. D95 can be equal to 20 μm, or D95 can be equal to 25 μm, etc., up to D95 up to and including 300 μm. can be the same By providing a D95 value within this range, the incorporation of relatively large plant particles into the homogenized plant material is avoided. This is desirable because the generation of aerosols from these large plant particles is likely to be relatively inefficient. Also, the inclusion of large plant particles in the homogenized plant material can adversely affect the consistency of the material.

Preferably, the particulate plant material may have a D95 value of about 30 μm or less to a D95 value of about 120 μm or less, more preferably a D95 value of about 40 μm or less to a D95 value of about 80 μm or less. Both particulate eucalyptus material and particulate tobacco material have a D95 value of about 20 μm or greater to a D95 value of about 300 μm or less, preferably a D95 value of about 30 μm or greater to a D95 value of about 120 μm or less, more preferably a D95 value of about 40 μm or greater to about 80 μm. It may have the following D95 values.

In some embodiments, the particulate plant material can be intentionally milled to form particles having a desired particle size distribution. The use of intentionally ground plant material advantageously improves the homogeneity of the particulate plant material and the consistency of the homogenized plant material.

100% of the particulate plant material may have a diameter of about 350 μm or less, more preferably about 400 μm or less. 100% of the particulate eucalyptus material and 100% of the particulate tobacco material may have a diameter of about 400 μm or less, more preferably about 200 μm or less. The particle size range of the eucalyptus particles allows the eucalyptus particles to be combined with tobacco particles in a conventional cast leaf process.

The homogenized plant material comprises, on a dry weight basis, preferably at least about 55% by weight of particulate plant material comprising eucalyptus particles, as described above, more preferably at least about 60% by weight of particulate plant material, and still more preferably preferably at least about 65% by weight of particulate plant material. The homogenized plant material preferably contains up to about 95% by weight, on a dry weight basis, of particulate plant material, more preferably up to about 90% by weight of particulate plant material, more preferably up to about 85% by weight of particulate plant material. contains For example, the homogenized plant material may comprise, on a dry weight basis, from about 55% to about 95% by weight of particulate plant material, or from about 60% to about 90% by weight of particulate plant material, or from about 65% to about 65% by weight of particulate plant material. 85% by weight of particulate plant material. In one particularly preferred embodiment, the homogenized plant material comprises, on a dry weight basis, about 75% by weight of particulate plant material.

Accordingly, the particulate plant material is typically combined with one or more other ingredients to form a homogenized plant material.

The homogenized plant material may further comprise a binder for modifying the mechanical properties of the particulate plant material, wherein the binder is included in the homogenized plant material during manufacture as described herein. Suitable extrinsic binders are known to those skilled in the art, and include, but are not limited to, gums such as guar gum, xanthan gum, gum arabic and locust bean gum; cellulosic binders such as hydroxypropyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose and ethyl cellulose; polysaccharides such as starch, organic acids such as alginic acid, conjugated base salts of organic acids such as sodium alginate, agar and pectin; and combinations thereof. Preferably, the binder comprises guar gum.

The binder may be present in an amount of from about 1% to about 10% by weight, based on the dry weight of the homogenized plant material, preferably from about 2% to about 5% by weight, based on the dry weight of the homogenized plant material. .

Alternatively or additionally, the homogenized plant material may further comprise one or more lipids to facilitate diffusibility of volatile components (eg, aerosol formers, eucalyptol and nicotine), wherein the lipids are herein Included in the homogenized plant material during preparation as described. Suitable lipids for inclusion in the homogenized plant material include, but are not limited to, medium chain triglycerides, cocoa butter, palm oil, palm kernel oil, mango oil, shea butter, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, palm oil, hydrogenated palm oil, candelilla wax, carnauba wax, shellac, sunflower wax, sunflower oil, rice bran, and Revel A; and combinations thereof.

Alternatively or additionally, the homogenized plant material may further comprise a pH adjusting agent.

Alternatively or additionally, the homogenized plant material may further comprise fibers for altering the mechanical properties of the homogenized plant material, wherein the fibers are included in the homogenized plant material during manufacture as described herein. Suitable extrinsic fibers for inclusion in the homogenized plant material are known in the art, and include, but are not limited to, cellulosic fibers; softwood fibers; hardwood fibers; jute fibers; and fibers formed from non-tobacco and non-eucalyptus materials, including combinations thereof. In addition, extrinsic fibers derived from tobacco and/or eucalyptus may be added. Any fibers added to the homogenized plant material are not considered to form part of the “particulate plant material” as described above. Prior to incorporation into the homogenized plant material, the fibers may be subjected to, but not limited to, mechanical pulping; refining; chemical pulping; bleaching; sulfate pulping; and combinations thereof. The fibers typically have a length greater than their width.

Suitable fibers typically have a length greater than 400 μm, no greater than 4 mm, and preferably within the range of 0.7 mm to 4 mm. Preferably, the fibers are present in an amount of from about 2% to about 15% by weight, most preferably about 4% by weight, based on the dry weight of the substrate.

Alternatively or additionally, the homogenized plant material may further comprise one or more aerosol formers. Upon evaporation, the aerosol former may deliver other vaporized compounds released from the aerosol-generating substrate upon heating, such as nicotine and flavoring agents in the aerosol. The aerosolization of a particular compound from an aerosol-generating substrate is not determined solely by its boiling point. The amount of aerosolized compound can be affected not only by the physical form of the substrate, but also by other components also present within the substrate. The stability of the compound under the temperature and time frame of aerosolization will also affect the amount of compound present in the aerosol.

Suitable aerosol formers for inclusion in the homogenized plant material are known in the art and include, but are not limited to, polyhydric alcohols such as triethylene glycol, propylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol and glycerol; esters of polyhydric alcohols such as glycerol mono-, di- or triacetate; and aliphatic esters of mono-, di- or polycarboxylic acids such as dimethyl dodecanedioate and dimethyl tetradecanedioate.

The homogenized plant material comprises from about 5% to about 30% by weight on a dry weight basis, such as from about 10% to about 25% by weight on a dry weight basis, or from about 15% to about 20% by weight on a dry weight basis of an aerosol It may have a former content.

For example, when the substrate is intended for use in an aerosol-generating article for an electrically operated aerosol-generating system having a heating element, it preferably comprises an aerosol former content of from about 5% to about 30% by weight on a dry weight basis. can do. If the substrate is intended for use in an aerosol-generating article for an electrically operated aerosol-generating system having a heating element, the aerosol former may preferably be glycerol.

In other embodiments, the homogenized plant material may have an aerosol former content of from about 1% to about 5% by weight on a dry weight basis. For example, where the substrate is intended for use in an aerosol-generating article in which the aerosol former is maintained in a reservoir separate from the substrate, the substrate may have an aerosol former content of greater than 1% and less than about 5%. In such embodiments, the aerosol former evaporates upon heating and the stream of aerosol former is contacted with the aerosol-generating substrate to entrain the flavor from the aerosol-generating substrate of the aerosol.

The aerosol former may act as a wetting agent in the aerosol-generating substrate.

The homogenized plant material of the aerosol-generating substrate according to the present invention may comprise a single type of homogenized plant material or two or more homogenized plant materials having different compositions or shapes. For example, in one embodiment, the aerosol-generating substrate comprises eucalyptus particles and tobacco particles or cannabis particles contained within the same sheet of homogenized plant material. However, in other embodiments, the aerosol-generating substrate may comprise tobacco particles or cannabis particles and eucalyptus particles in different sheets.

The homogenized plant material may be provided in any suitable form. For example, the homogenized plant material may be in the form of one or more sheets. As used herein in connection with the present invention, the term “sheet” describes a laminar element having a width and length substantially greater than its thickness.

Alternatively or additionally, the homogenized plant material may be in the form of a plurality of pellets or granules.

Alternatively or additionally, the homogenized plant material may be in a form that may be used to fill cartridges or shisha consumables, or may be used in a shisha device. The present invention includes a cartridge or shisha device containing homogenized plant material.

Alternatively or additionally, the homogenized plant material may be in the form of a plurality of strands, strips or pieces. As used herein, the term “strand” describes an elongate element of material having a length that is substantially greater than its width and thickness. The term “strand” should be considered to include strips, pieces and any other homogenized plant material having a similar shape. The strands of homogenized plant material may be formed by cutting or shredding a sheet of homogenized plant material, or by other methods, such as extrusion methods.

In some embodiments, it may form in situ within the aerosol-generating substrate as a result of splitting or cracking of the homogenized sheet of plant material during formation of the aerosol-generating substrate, for example as a result of crimping. The strands of the homogenized plant material inside the aerosol-generating substrate may be separated from each other. Alternatively, each strand of homogenized plant material in the aerosol-generating substrate may be at least partially connected to an adjacent strand or strands along the length of the strands. For example, adjacent strands may be connected by one or more fibers. This may occur, for example, when strands are formed due to splitting of the homogenized sheet of plant material during production of the aerosol-generating substrate, as described above.

Preferably, the aerosol-generating substrate is in the form of one or more sheets of homogenized plant material. In various embodiments of the present invention, one or more sheets of homogenized plant material may be produced by a casting process. In various embodiments of the present invention, one or more sheets of homogenized plant material may be produced by a papermaking process. One or more sheets described herein may each individually have a thickness of 100 μm to 600 μm, preferably 150 μm to 300 μm, and most preferably 200 μm to 250 μm. The individual thickness refers to the thickness of the individual sheets, while the combined thickness refers to the total thickness of all the sheets that make up the aerosol-generating substrate. For example, if the aerosol-generating substrate is formed from two separate sheets, the combined thickness is the thickness of the two separate sheets or the sum of the measured thicknesses of the two sheets to which the two sheets are laminated to the aerosol-generating substrate.

One or more sheets described herein may each individually have a basis weight of ^{from about 100 g/m 2} to about 300 g/m ^{2 .}

One or more sheets described herein may each individually have a density of ^{from about 0.3 g/cm 3} to about 1.3 g/cm ³ , preferably from about 0.7 g/cm ³ to about 1.0 g/cm ^{3 .}

The term “tensile strength” is used throughout this specification to refer to a measure of the force required to stretch a homogenized sheet of plant material until it breaks. More specifically, tensile strength is the maximum tensile force per unit width that the sheet material will withstand before failure, measured in the machine direction or in the cross direction of the sheet material. It is expressed in Newtons per meter of material (N/m). Tests for determining the tensile strength of sheet materials are well known. A suitable test is described in the 2014 publication of the international standard ISO 1924-2 entitled "Paper and Board - Determination of Tensile Properties - Part 2: Constant Rate Stretching Method".

Materials and equipment required to perform testing in accordance with ISO 1924-2 include: a universal tensile/compression testing machine, Instron 5566, or equivalent; 100 Newton tensile load cell, Instron, or equivalent; 2 pneumatic grips; Steel gauge block 180 ± 0.25 mm long (width: approx. 10 mm, thickness: approx. 3 mm); double-edged strip cutter, size 15 ± 0.05 x approx. 250 mm, Adamel Lhomargy or equivalent; scalpel; a computer running the acquisition software, Merlin, or equivalent; and compressed air.

Prior to testing, sheets of homogenized plant material are prepared by primary conditioning at 22±2° C. and 60±5% relative humidity for at least 24 hours. The machine direction or cross direction sample is then cut with a double-blade strip cutter to about 250 x 15 ± 0.1 mm. The edges of the specimen must be cut cleanly - do not cut more than three specimens at the same time.

The tensile/compression testing machine is set up by installing a 100 Newton tensile load cell, turning on the universal tensile/compression testing machine and computer switch, and with a test speed set to 8 mm/min, selecting a measurement method predefined in the software. Then calibrate the tensile load cell and install the pneumatic action grip. Adjust the test distance between the pneumatic action grips to 180 ± 0.5 mm using a steel gauge block, and set the distance and force to zero.

Place the specimen straight in the center between the grips and avoid touching the area to be tested with your fingers. Close the upper grip and hold the paper strip over the open lower grip. Force is set to 0. Then gently pull down on the paper strip and close the lower grip; The starting force shall be between 0.05 and 0.20 N. While the upper grip is moving upward, apply a gradually increasing force until the specimen breaks. Repeat the same procedure with the remaining specimen. The results are valid when the specimen breaks when the grip is moved apart by a distance of more than 10 mm. Otherwise, reject this result and perform additional measurements.

One or more sheets of homogenized plant material described herein may each individually have a tensile strength at cross-direction peaks between 50 N/m and 400 N/m or preferably between 150 N/m and 350 N/m. Given that sheet thickness affects tensile strength, if a batch of sheets exhibits variations in thickness, it may be desirable to normalize the value to a specific sheet thickness.

One or more sheets described herein may each have a tensile strength at a machine direction peak of 100 N/m to 800 N/m or preferably 280 N/m to 620 N/m, each individually normalized to a sheet thickness of 215 μm. The machine direction refers to the direction in which the sheet material is rolled or unwound into the bobbin and fed into the machine, while the cross direction is perpendicular to the machine direction. This value of tensile strength makes the sheets and methods described herein particularly suitable for subsequent operations involving mechanical stress.

Provision of a sheet having a thickness, weight and tensile strength as defined above advantageously optimizes the machinability of the sheet to form an aerosol-generating substrate and ensures that damage such as tearing of the sheet is avoided during high-speed processing of the sheet .

In an embodiment of the invention in which the aerosol-generating substrate comprises at least one sheet of homogenized plant material, the sheet is preferably in the form of at least one corrugated sheet. As used herein, the term “gathered” refers to a sheet of homogenized plant material being rolled, folded, otherwise compressed or retracted substantially transverse to the cylindrical axis of the plug or rod. As used herein, the term “longitudinal” refers to a direction corresponding to the major longitudinal axis of the aerosol-generating article extending between the upstream end and the downstream end of the aerosol-generating article. During use, air is drawn longitudinally through the aerosol-generating article. The term “transverse direction” refers to a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. As used herein, the term “length” refers to the dimension of a component in the longitudinal direction and the term “width” refers to the dimension of the component in the transverse direction. For example, in the case of a plug or rod having a circular cross-section, the maximum width corresponds to the diameter of the circle.

As used herein, the term “plug” refers to a generally cylindrical element having a substantially polygonal, circular, oval or oval cross-section. As used herein, the term “rod” is used to refer to a generally cylindrical element having a substantially polygonal cross-section and preferably a circular, oval or elliptical cross-section. The rod may have a length greater than but equal to the length of the plug. Typically, the rod has a length greater than the length of the plug. The rod may comprise one or more plugs, preferably longitudinally aligned.

As used herein, the terms “upstream” and “downstream” describe the relative position of an element, or portion of an element, of an aerosol-generating article with respect to the direction in which the aerosol is transported through the aerosol-generating article during use. The downstream end of the airflow path is the end at which the aerosol is delivered to the user of the article.

One or more sheets of homogenized plant material may be corrugated transverse to their longitudinal axis and surrounded by a wrapper to form a continuous rod or plug. The continuous rod may be cut into a plurality of individual rods or plugs. The wrapper may be a paper wrapper or a non-paper wrapper. Suitable paper wrappers for use in certain embodiments of the present invention are known in the art and include, but are not limited to, cigarette paper; and filter plug wraps. Suitable non-paper wrappers for use in certain embodiments of the present invention are known in the art and include, but are not limited to, sheets of homogenized tobacco material. The homogenized tobacco wrapper comprises at least one sheet of homogenized plant material, wherein the aerosol-generating substrate is formed of particulate plant material, wherein the particulate plant material comprises, on a dry weight basis, from 20% to 0% by weight of tobacco particles, such as low, Particularly suitable for use in embodiments containing eucalyptus particles in combination with weight percent tobacco particles.

Alternatively, one or more sheets of homogenized plant material may be cut into strands as mentioned above. In such embodiments, the aerosol-generating substrate comprises a plurality of strands of homogenized plant material. The strands may also be used to form a plug. Typically, the width of such strands is no more than about 5 mm, or about 4 mm, or about 3 mm, or about 2 mm. The length of the strands may be greater than about 5 mm, from about 5 mm to about 15 mm, from about 8 mm to about 12 mm, or about 12 mm. The length of the strand may be determined by the manufacturing process, whereby the rod is cut into a shorter plug and the length of the strand corresponds to the length of the plug. The strands can be brittle, which can lead to breakage, particularly during transportation. In this case, the length of some strands may be less than the length of the plug.

One or more sheets of homogenized plant material may be textured through crimping, embossing or perforation. One or more sheets may be textured prior to crimping or before cutting into strands. Preferably, one or more sheets of homogenized plant material may be crimped prior to crimping such that the homogenized plant material is in the form of a crimped sheet, more preferably in the form of a crimped crimped sheet. As used herein, the term “crimped sheet” refers to a sheet having a plurality of substantially parallel ridges or corrugations, usually aligned with the longitudinal axis of the article.

In one embodiment, the aerosol-generating substrate may be in the form of a single plug of the aerosol-generating substrate. Preferably, the plug of the aerosol-generating substrate may comprise a plurality of strands of homogenized plant material. Most preferably, the plug of the aerosol-generating substrate may comprise one or more sheets of homogenized plant material. Preferably, the one or more sheets of homogenized plant material may be crimped with a plurality of ridges or corrugations substantially parallel to the cylindrical axis of the plug. This treatment advantageously facilitates the crimping of the crimped sheet of homogenized plant material to form a plug. Preferably, at least one sheet of homogenized plant material may be corrugated. It will be appreciated that the crimped sheet of homogenized plant material may alternatively or additionally have a plurality of substantially parallel ridges and corrugations disposed at acute or obtuse angles to the cylindrical axis of the plug. The sheet may be crimped to such an extent that the integrity of the sheet is disrupted in a plurality of parallel ridges or corrugations causing separation of the material, resulting in the formation of pieces, strands or strips of homogenized plant material.

In another embodiment of the aerosol-generating substrate, the homogenized plant material comprises a first plug comprising a first homogenized plant material and a second plug comprising a second homogenized plant material, wherein the first homogenized the prepared plant material comprises from about 50% to about 95% by weight, on a dry weight basis, of eucalyptus particles; wherein the second homogenized plant material comprises from about 50% to about 95% by weight of tobacco particles on a dry weight basis. Overall, according to the present invention, the homogenized plant material in the aerosol-generating substrate comprises, on a dry weight basis, at least 2.5% by weight of eucalyptus particles and at most 95% by weight of tobacco particles.

Optionally, the first homogenized plant material may comprise at least 60% by weight eucalyptus particles and the second homogenized plant material may comprise at least 60% by weight tobacco particles. Optionally, the first homogenized plant material may comprise at least about 90 weight percent eucalyptus particles and the second homogenized plant material may comprise at least about 90 weight percent tobacco particles.

In this arrangement, the first homogenized plant material comprises a first particulate plant material having a major proportion of eucalyptus particles while the second homogenized plant material comprises a second particulate plant material having a major proportion of tobacco particles. .

Preferably, the first homogenized plant material may be in the form of one or more sheets and the second homogenized plant material may be in the form of one or more sheets.

Optionally, the aerosol-generating substrate may comprise one or more plugs. Preferably, the substrate may comprise a first plug and a second plug, wherein the first homogenized plant material may be located within the first plug and the second homogenized plant material may be located within the second plug.

Two or more plugs may be combined in an abutting end-to-end relationship and may extend to form a rod. The two plugs can be placed longitudinally with a gap therebetween, creating a cavity in the rod. The plug may be in any suitable arrangement within the rod.

For example, in a preferred arrangement, a downstream plug comprising a major fraction of eucalyptus particles may abut an upstream plug comprising a major fraction of tobacco particles to form a rod. Alternative configurations in which the upstream and downstream positions of the respective plugs are varied relative to each other are also contemplated. Alternative configurations are also contemplated, wherein the third homogenized plant material contains a major proportion of eucalyptus particles or a major proportion of tobacco particles and forms a third plug. For example, a plug comprising a major proportion of eucalyptus particles by weight may be sandwiched between two plugs each containing a major proportion of tobacco particles by weight, or A containing plug may be sandwiched between two plugs, each containing a major proportion of eucalyptus particles by weight. Additional configurations may be contemplated by the skilled artisan. If two or more plugs are provided, the homogenized plant material may be provided in the same form in each plug or in a different form in each plug, ie corrugated or crushed. One or more plugs may optionally be wrapped individually or together with a metal foil, such as aluminum foil or metallized paper. The metal foil or metallized paper serves the purpose of conducting heat rapidly throughout the aerosol-generating substrate. The metal foil or metallized paper may contain metal particles such as iron particles.

The first plug may comprise one or more sheets of first homogenized plant material and the second plug may comprise one or more sheets of second homogenized plant material. The sum of the lengths of the plugs may be from about 10 mm to about 40 mm, preferably from about 10 mm to about 15 mm, more preferably about 12 mm. The first plug and the second plug may have the same length or may have different lengths. When the first plug and the second plug have the same length, the length of each plug may preferably be from about 6 mm to about 20 mm. Preferably, the second plug may be longer than the first plug to provide the desired proportion of tobacco particles to the eucalyptus particles in the substrate. Overall, preferably the substrate contains 0 to 72.5 weight percent tobacco particles and 75 to 2.5 weight percent eucalyptus particles, on a dry weight basis. Preferably, the second plug is at least 40% to 50% longer than the first plug.

When the first homogenized plant material and the second homogenized plant material are in the form of one or more sheets, preferably the one or more sheets of the first homogenized plant material and the second homogenized plant material may be corrugated sheets. Preferably, at least one sheet of the first homogenized plant material and the second homogenized plant material may be a crimped sheet. It will be understood that all other physical properties described with reference to embodiments in which a single homogenized plant material is present are equally applicable to embodiments in which a first homogenized plant material and a second homogenized plant material are present. Also, with reference to embodiments in which a single homogenized plant material is present, for additives (such as binders, lipids, fibers, aerosol formers, wetting agents, plasticizers, flavoring agents, fillers, aqueous and non-aqueous solvents and combinations thereof) It will be understood that the description is equally applicable to embodiments in which a first homogenized plant material and a second homogenized plant material are present.

In another embodiment of the aerosol-generating substrate, the first homogenized plant material is in the form of a first sheet, the second homogenized plant material is in the form of a second sheet, the second sheet at least partially overlying the first sheet have.

The first sheet may be a textured sheet, and the second sheet may be non-textured.

Both the first and second sheets may be textured sheets.

The first sheet may be a textured sheet that is textured in a different way than the second sheet. For example, a first sheet may be crimped and a second sheet may be perforated. Alternatively, the first sheet may be perforated and the second sheet may be crimped.

Both the first and second sheets may be crimped sheets that are morphologically different from each other. For example, the second sheet may be crimped with a different number of crimps per unit width of the sheet compared to the first sheet.

The sheet may be corrugated to form a plug. The sheets corrugated together to form a plug may have different physical dimensions. The width and thickness of the sheet can be varied.

It may be desirable to group together two sheets, each having a different thickness or each having a different width. This may change the physical properties of the plug. This may facilitate the formation of formulated plugs of aerosol-generating substrates from sheets of different chemical compositions.

The first sheet may have a first thickness, and the second sheet may have a second thickness that is a multiple of the first thickness, eg, the second sheet may have twice or three times the first thickness. It may have a double thickness.

The first sheet may have a first width, and the second sheet may have a second width different from the first width.

The first sheet and the second sheet may be placed in an overlapping relationship before or at the point where they are pleated together. The sheets may have the same width and thickness. The sheets may have different thicknesses. The sheets may have different widths. The sheets may have different textures.

Where it is desirable for both the first and second sheets to be textured, the sheets may be textured simultaneously before being wrinkled. For example, the sheets may be brought into an overlapping relationship and passed through a texturing means, such as a pair of crimp rollers. A suitable apparatus and process for simultaneous crimping is described with reference to FIG. 2 of WO-A-2013/178766. In a preferred embodiment, a second sheet of second homogenized plant material overlies the first sheet of first homogenized plant material, and the combined sheets are corrugated to form a plug of the aerosol-generating substrate. Optionally, the sheets may be crimped together prior to pleating to facilitate pleating.

Alternatively, each sheet can be individually textured and then brought together and corrugated into the plug. For example, if the two sheets have different thicknesses, it may be desirable to crimp the first sheet differently relative to the second sheet.

It will be understood that all other physical properties described with reference to embodiments in which a single homogenized plant material is present are equally applicable to embodiments in which a first homogenized plant material and a second homogenized plant material are present. Also, with reference to embodiments in which a single homogenized plant material is present, for additives (such as binders, lipids, fibers, aerosol formers, wetting agents, plasticizers, flavoring agents, fillers, aqueous and non-aqueous solvents and combinations thereof) It will be understood that the description is equally applicable to embodiments in which a first homogenized plant material and a second homogenized plant material are present.

The homogenized plant material used in the aerosol-generating substrate according to the present invention may be prepared by a variety of methods including papermaking, casting, dough regeneration, extrusion or any other suitable process.

In certain embodiments, the casting process is adapted to produce a “cast leaf”. The term “cast leaf” refers to a slurry containing plant particles (eg, in the form of eucalyptus particles, or a mixture of tobacco particles and eucalyptus particles) and a binder (eg guar gum) onto a supportive surface such as a belt conveyor. surface), drying the slurry, and removing the dried sheet from the support surface, is used herein to refer to a sheet product produced by a casting process. Examples of casting or cast-leaf processes are described, for example, in US-A-5,724,998 for the production of cast-leaf cigarettes. In a cast leaf process, particulate plant material is mixed with a liquid component, typically water, to form a slurry. Other added ingredients in the slurry may include fibers, binders and aerosol formers. The particulate plant material can agglomerate in the presence of a binder. The slurry is cast onto a support surface and dried to form a homogenized sheet of plant material.

In certain preferred embodiments, the homogenized plant material used in the article according to the invention is produced by casting. Homogenized plant material produced by the casting process generally contains agglomerated particulate plant material.

In the cast leaf process, since substantially all of the soluble fraction is retained in the plant material, most flavor is advantageously preserved. In addition, energy intensive restraining steps are avoided.

In one preferred embodiment of the invention, a mixture comprising particulate plant material, water, a binder and an aerosol former is formed to form a homogenized plant material. Both the particulate plant material and the aerosol former are as described above with reference to the first aspect of the invention. A sheet is formed from the mixture, and then the sheet is dried. Preferably, the mixture is an aqueous mixture. As used herein, “dry weight” refers to the weight of a particular non-water component relative to the sum of the weights of all non-water components in the mixture, expressed as a percentage. The composition of the aqueous mixture may be referred to as “% by dry weight”. It refers to the weight of the non-water component relative to the weight of the total aqueous mixture, expressed as a percentage.

The mixture may be a slurry. As used herein, “slurry” is a homogenized aqueous mixture having a relatively low dry weight. The slurry used in the process herein may preferably have a dry weight of 5% to 60%.

Alternatively, the mixture may be a dough. As used herein, “dough” is an aqueous mixture having a relatively high dry weight. The dough used in the method herein may preferably have a dry weight of at least 60%, more preferably at least 70%.

Slurries and doughs containing greater than 30% dry weight may be desirable in certain embodiments of the method.

The step of mixing the particulate plant material, water and other optional ingredients may be performed by any suitable means. For mixtures of low viscosity, ie for some slurries, it is preferable to perform mixing using a high energy mixer or a high shear mixer. Such mixing homogeneously divides and distributes the mixture of the various phases. For higher viscosity mixtures, ie, some doughs, a kneading process can be used to homogeneously distribute the mixture of the various phases.

The method according to the invention may further comprise the step of agitating the mixture to distribute the various different constituents. Agitating the mixture, i.e., for example, agitating a tank or silo in which the homogenized mixture is present, can aid in the homogenization of the mixture, especially if the mixture is a mixture of low viscosity, i.e. some slurry. . If agitation is performed with mixing, the mixing time required to homogenize the mixture to a target value optimized for casting can be reduced.

When the mixture is a slurry, the web of homogenized plant material is preferably formed by a casting process comprising casting the slurry onto a support surface, such as a belt conveyor. A method of making homogenized plant material includes drying the cast web to form a sheet. The cast web may be dried at room temperature or at an ambient temperature of 80 to 160° C. for a suitable period of time. Preferably, the moisture content of the sheet after drying is from about 5% to about 15% based on the total weight of the sheet. The sheet can then be removed from the support surface after drying. The cast sheet has a tensile strength that allows it to be mechanically manipulated and wound or unwound from a bobbin without breaking or deforming.

If the mixture is a dough, prior to the step of drying the extruded mixture, the dough may be extruded in the form of sheets, strands or strips. Preferably, the dough may be extruded in the form of a sheet. The extruded mixture may be dried at room temperature or at a temperature of 80 to 160° C. for an appropriate time. Preferably, the moisture content of the extruded mixture after drying is from about 5% to about 15% by total weight of the sheet. Sheets formed from dough require less drying time and/or lower drying temperatures as a result of significantly lower moisture content compared to webs formed from slurry.

After the sheet is dried, the method may optionally comprise coating a nicotine salt onto the sheet, preferably together with an aerosol former, as described in the disclosure of WO-A-2015/082652 .

After the sheet is dried, the method according to the invention may optionally comprise cutting the sheet into strands, pieces or strips for the formation of an aerosol-generating substrate as described above. The strands, pieces, or strips may be brought together to form a rod of an aerosol-generating substrate using any suitable means. In a formed rod of an aerosol-generating substrate, the strands, pieces, or strips may be substantially aligned, for example in the longitudinal direction of the rod. Alternatively, the strands, pieces, or strips may be randomly oriented within the rod.

In certain preferred embodiments, the method further comprises crimping the sheet. As discussed below, this may facilitate pleating of the sheet to form the rod. The “crimping” step creates a sheet having a plurality of ridges or corrugations.

In certain preferred embodiments, the method further comprises the step of pleating the sheet to form the rod. The term “corrugated” refers to a sheet that is tortuous, folded, or otherwise compressed or retracted substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol-generating substrate. The step of “wrinkling” the sheet may be performed by any suitable means that provides the necessary transverse compression of the sheet.

The method according to the present invention may optionally further comprise, after the drying step, winding the sheet on a bobbin.

The present invention further provides an alternative papermaking process for making a sheet of homogenized plant material. The method comprises a first step of mixing the plant material and water to form a dilute suspension. The dilute suspension mainly contains discrete cellulosic fibers. The suspension has a lower viscosity and higher water content than the slurry produced in the casting process. This first step may include immersing and optionally heating, optionally in the presence of an alkali such as sodium hydroxide.

The method further comprises a second step of separating the suspension into an insoluble portion containing insoluble fibrous plant material and a liquid or aqueous portion containing soluble plant material. The water remaining on the insoluble fibrous plant part may be drained through a screen acting as a sieve such that a web of randomly woven fibers can be laid underneath. Additional water may be removed from this web by pressing with a roller, sometimes assisted by suction or vacuum.

After removal of the aqueous portion and water, the insoluble portion is formed into a sheet. Preferably, a generally flat, uniform sheet plant fiber is formed.

Preferably, the method further comprises concentrating the soluble plant material removed from the sheet and adding the concentrated plant material into the sheet of insoluble fibrous plant material to form a homogenized sheet of plant material. Alternatively or additionally, soluble plant material or concentrated plant material from other processes may be added to the sheet. Soluble plant material or concentrated plant material may be derived from different varieties of plants of the same species, or from different species of plants.

This process has been used with tobacco to make reconstituted tobacco products, also known as tobacco paper, as described in US Pat. No. 3,860,012. Also, the same process may be used with one or more plants to produce a paper-like sheet material, such as a eucalyptus paper sheet.

In certain preferred embodiments, the homogenized plant material used in the article according to the invention is produced by a papermaking process as defined above. The homogenized tobacco material or homogenized eucalyptus material produced by this process is referred to as tobacco paper or eucalyptus paper. Homogenized plant material produced by the papermaking process is distinguished by the presence of a plurality of fibers throughout the material, which can be seen with the eye or light microscope, especially when the paper is wetted with water. In contrast, homogenized plant material produced by the casting process contains fewer fibers than paper and tends to dissociate into a slurry when wet. Blended tobacco eucalyptus paper refers to the homogenized plant material produced by this process using a mixture of tobacco and eucalyptus material.

In embodiments where the aerosol-generating substrate comprises a combination of eucalyptus particles and tobacco particles, the aerosol-generating substrate may comprise one or more sheets of eucalyptus paper and one or more sheets of tobacco paper. Sheets of eucalyptus paper and tobacco paper may be sandwiched or stacked together before being crimped to form rods. Optionally, the sheet may be crimped. Alternatively, sheets of eucalyptus paper and tobacco paper can be cut into strands, strips or pieces and then combined to form rods. The relative amounts of tobacco and eucalyptus in the aerosol-generating substrate may be adjusted by varying the respective number of tobacco and eucalyptus sheets or the respective amounts of eucalyptus and tobacco strands, strips or pieces in the rod.

Other known processes which can be applied to produce homogenized plant material include, for example, a dough reconstitution process of the type described in US Pat. No. 3,894,544; and extrusion processes of the type described, for example, in GB-A-983,928. Typically, the density of the homogenized plant material produced by the extrusion process and the dough reconstitution process is greater than the density of the homogenized plant material produced by the casting process.

The aerosol-generating article according to the present invention comprises an aerosol-generating substrate as described above and may optionally further comprise a mouthpiece. The mouthpiece may include one or more filter segments that are combined during manufacture of the article. The aerosol-generating article may include a rod, which in turn includes a substrate in one or more plugs. The rod may have a rod length of from about 5 mm to about 130 mm if it includes an optional filter portion. If the rod does not include optional filter segments, it may have a length of from about 5 mm to about 120 mm. The rod may comprise one or more plugs of the aerosol-generating substrate. When a single plug of the aerosol-generating substrate forms the rod, both the rod and the plug preferably have a length of about 10 to about 40 mm, more preferably about 10 to 15 mm, and most preferably about 12 mm. The rod may have a diameter of from about 5 mm to about 10 mm depending on its intended use.

Aerosol-generating articles according to the present invention also include, but are not limited to, cartridges or shisha consumables,

The aerosol-generating article according to the invention may optionally comprise at least one hollow tube immediately downstream of the aerosol-generating substrate. One function of the tube is to position the aerosol-generating substrate towards the distal end of the aerosol-generating article so that it can be contacted with the heating element. When the heating element is inserted into the aerosol-generating substrate, the tube forces the aerosol-generating substrate not to follow the aerosol-generating article towards another downstream element. The tube also acts as a spacer element to separate the downstream element from the aerosol-generating substrate. The tube may be made of any material such as cellulose acetate, polymer, cardboard or paper.

An aerosol-generating article according to the invention optionally comprises one or more of a spacer or an aerosol cooling element downstream of the aerosol-generating substrate and immediately downstream of the hollow tube. In use, the aerosol formed by the volatile compound released from the aerosol-generating substrate passes through and is cooled by the aerosol cooling element before inhalation by the user. The lower temperature allows the vapors to condense into an aerosol. The spacer or aerosol cooling element may be a hollow tube, such as a hollow cellulose acetate tube or a cardboard tube, which may be similar to the one immediately downstream of the aerosol-generating substrate. The spacer may be a hollow tube of the same outer diameter but a smaller or larger inner diameter than the hollow cellulose acetate tube. In one embodiment, the paper-wrapped aerosol cooling element is one made of any suitable material, such as metal foil, foil-laminated paper, preferably a polymer sheet made of a synthetic polymer, and substantially non-porous paper or cardboard. It contains more than one longitudinal channel. In some embodiments, the paper-wrapped aerosol cooling element comprises polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polylactic acid (PLA), cellulose acetate (CA), and one or more sheets made of a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum foil. In some embodiments, the aerosol cooling element is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polylactic acid (PLA), and cellulose acetate (CA). It may be made of woven or non-woven filaments of the selected material. In a preferred embodiment, the aerosol cooling element is a crimped and pleated sheet of polylactic acid wrapped inside a filter paper. In another preferred embodiment, the aerosol cooling element comprises a longitudinal channel and is made of woven filaments of a synthetic polymer, such as polylactic acid filaments, wrapped in paper.

The aerosol-generating article according to the invention may further comprise a filter or mouthpiece downstream of the aerosol-generating substrate and the hollow acetate tube, spacer or aerosol cooling element. The filter may include one or more filtration materials to remove particulate components, gaseous components, or combinations thereof. Suitable filtration materials are known in the art and include, but are not limited to, fibrous filtration materials such as, for example, cellulose acetate tow and paper; adsorbents such as, for example, activated alumina, zeolites, molecular sieves and silica gel; biodegradable polymers including, for example, polylactic acid (PLA), Mater-Bi®, hydrophobic viscose fibers, and bioplastics; and combinations thereof. The filter may be located at the downstream end of the aerosol-generating article. The filter may be a cellulose acetate filter plug. The filter is about 7 mm long in one embodiment, but may have a length of between about 5 mm and about 10 mm.

In one embodiment, the aerosol-generating article has a total length of about 45 mm. The aerosol-generating article may have an outer diameter of 7 mm to 8 mm, preferably about 7.3 mm.

Aerosol-generating articles according to the invention may further comprise one or more aerosol modifying elements. The aerosol modifying element may provide an aerosol modifying agent. As used herein, the term aerosol modifier is used to describe any agent that, in use, modifies one or more characteristics or properties of the aerosol passing through a filter. Suitable aerosol modifiers include, but are not limited to, agents that, in use, impart taste or aroma to the aerosol passing through the filter.

The aerosol modifier may be one or more of a water or liquid flavoring agent. Water or moisture may modify the sensory experience of the user, for example by wetting the generated aerosol, which may provide a cooling effect to the aerosol and reduce the perception of a rough feeling experienced by the user. The aerosol modifying element may be in the form of a flavor delivery element for delivering one or more liquid flavorants.

The one or more liquid flavoring agents may include any flavor compound or plant extract suitable for releasably disposed within a flavor delivery member in liquid form to enhance the taste of the aerosol generated during use of the aerosol-generating article. Flavoring agents, liquids or solids may also be placed directly into the filter forming material, such as cellulose acetate tow. Suitable aromas or flavors include, but are not limited to, menthol, mint such as peppermint and spearmint, chocolate, licorice, citrus and other fruit flavors, gamma octalactone, vanillin, ethyl vanillin, mouthwash flavors, cinnamon spice flavors such as methyl salicylate, linalool, eugenol, bergamot oil, geranium oil, lemon oil, cannabis oil, and tobacco flavor include Other suitable flavors may include flavor compounds selected from the group consisting of acids, alcohols, esters, aldehydes, ketones, pyrazines, combinations or blends thereof, and the like.

The one or more aerosol modifying elements may be located downstream of the aerosol-generating substrate or within the aerosol-generating substrate. The aerosol-generating substrate may comprise homogenized plant material and an aerosol modifying element. In various embodiments, the aerosol modifying element may be placed adjacent to or embedded in the homogenized plant material. Typically, the aerosol modifying element may be located downstream of the aerosol-generating substrate, most typically within an aerosol cooling element, within a filter of an aerosol-generating article, such as within a filter plug or within a cavity between filter plugs. The one or more aerosol modifying elements may be in the form of one or more threads, capsules, microcapsules, beads or polymer matrix materials, or combinations thereof.

When the aerosol modifying element is in the form of a thread described in WO-A-2011/060961, the thread may be formed of a paper such as a filter plug wrap, the thread being loaded with at least one aerosol modifying agent and positioned inside the body of the filter. can Other materials that can be used to form the threads include cellulose acetate and cotton.

When the aerosol modifying element is in the form of a capsule as described in WO-A-2007/010407, WO-A-2013/068100 and WO-A-2014/154887, the capsule may be a breakable capsule positioned within a filter, the interior of the capsule The core contains an aerosol modifier that can be released upon destruction of the outer shell of the capsule when the filter is subjected to an external force. The capsule may be positioned within the filter plug or within the cavity between the filter plugs.

When the aerosol modifying element is in the form of a polymeric matrix material, the polymeric matrix material may cause the aerosol-generating article to be heated, for example when the polymeric matrix is heated above the melting point of the polymeric matrix material described in WO-A-2013/034488. When releasing the flavoring agent. Typically, such a polymeric matrix material may be placed within a bead within an aerosol-generating substrate. Alternatively or additionally, the flavoring agent may be entrapped within the domains of the polymeric matrix material and releasable from the polymeric matrix material upon compression of the polymeric matrix material. Such flavor modifying elements may provide a sustained release of the liquid flavoring agent over a range of forces of at least 5N, such as 5N to 20N, as described in WO2013/068304. Typically, this polymeric matrix material may be placed within beads in a filter.

The aerosol-generating article may comprise a combustible heat source and an aerosol-generating substrate downstream of the combustible heat source, the aerosol-generating substrate as described above for the first aspect of the invention.

For example, the substrates described herein may be used in heated aerosol-generating articles of the type disclosed in WO-A-2009/022232, which include a combustible carbon-based heat source, an aerosol-generating substrate downstream of the combustible heat source, and combustible carbon and a heat-conducting element around and in contact with the rear portion of the system heat source and the adjacent anterior portion of the aerosol-generating substrate. However, it will be appreciated that the substrates described herein may be used in heated aerosol-generating articles comprising combustible heat sources having other configurations.

The present invention provides an aerosol-generating device comprising a heating element, and an aerosol-generating system comprising an aerosol-generating article for use with an aerosol-generating device, wherein the aerosol-generating article comprises an aerosol-generating substrate as described above. contains

In another embodiment, the aerosol-generating substrates described herein may be used in a heated aerosol-generating article for use in an electrically operated aerosol-generating system in which the aerosol-generating substrate of the heated aerosol-generating article is heated by an electrical heat source.

For example, the aerosol-generating substrates described herein may be used in heated aerosol-generating articles of the type disclosed in EP-A-0 822 760.

The heating element of such aerosol-generating devices may be of any suitable form for conducting heat. Heating of the aerosol-generating substrate may be accomplished internally, externally, or both. The heating element may preferably be a heater blade or fin configured to be inserted into the substrate such that the substrate is heated from the inside. Alternatively, the heating element may partially or completely surround the substrate and heat the substrate from the outside in a circumferential direction.

The aerosol-generating system may be an electrically operated aerosol-generating system comprising an induction heating device. Induction heating devices typically include an induction source configured to be coupled to a susceptor. The induction source creates an alternating electromagnetic field, which induces magnetization or eddy currents within the susceptor. The susceptor may heat up as a result of hysteresis losses or induced eddy currents heating the susceptor through ohmic or resistive heating.

An electrically operated aerosol-generating system comprising an induction heating device also includes an aerosol-generating article having an aerosol-generating substrate and a susceptor in thermal proximity to the aerosol-generating substrate. Typically, the susceptor is in direct contact with the aerosol-generating substrate, and heat is transferred from the susceptor to the aerosol-generating substrate primarily by conduction. Examples of electrically operated aerosol-generating systems having an aerosol-generating article having an induction heating device and a susceptor are described in WO-A1-95/27411 and WO-A1-2015/177255.

The susceptor may be a plurality of susceptor particles that may be deposited on or embedded within the aerosol-generating substrate. When the aerosol-generating substrate is in the form of one or more sheets, a plurality of susceptor particles may be deposited on or embedded therein. The susceptor particles are held in place by a substrate, for example in the form of a sheet, and held in an initial position. Preferably, the susceptor particles can be homogeneously distributed in the homogenized plant material of the aerosol-generating substrate. Because of the particulate nature of the susceptor, heat is generated according to the distribution of the particles within the homogenized sheet of plant material of the substrate. Alternatively, one or more susceptors in the form of sheets, strips, pieces or rods may be placed next to the homogenized plant material or used embedded in the homogenized plant material. In one embodiment, the aerosol-forming substrate comprises one or more susceptor strips. In some embodiments, the susceptor is present in an aerosol-generating device.

The susceptor may have a heat loss greater than 0.05 J/kg, preferably greater than 0.1 J/kg. Heat loss is the capacity of the susceptor to transfer heat to the surrounding material. Since the susceptor particles are preferably homogeneously distributed in the aerosol-generating substrate, uniform heat loss from the susceptor particles is achieved to create a uniform heat distribution in the aerosol-generating substrate and a uniform temperature distribution within the aerosol-generating article. can cause It has been found that a specific minimum heat loss of 0.05 J/kg in the susceptor particles enables aerosol generation by heating the aerosol-generating substrate to a substantially uniform temperature. Preferably, the average temperature achieved within the aerosol-generating substrate in such embodiments is from about 200°C to about 240°C.

Reducing the risk of overheating the aerosol-generating substrate may be supported by the use of a susceptor material having a Curie temperature, which allows the heating process due to loss of hysteresis only up to a certain maximum temperature. The susceptor may have a Curie temperature of from about 200 °C to about 450 °C, preferably from about 240 °C to about 400 °C, for example about 280 °C. When a susceptor material reaches its Curie temperature, its magnetic properties change. At the Curie temperature, the susceptor material changes from a ferromagnetic phase to a paramagnetic phase. At this point, the heating based on energy loss due to the orientation of the ferromagnetic domains stops. Further, heating is then performed mainly based on eddy current formation so that the heating process is automatically reduced upon reaching the Curie temperature of the susceptor material. Preferably, the susceptor material and its Curie temperature are tailored to the composition of the aerosol-generating substrate to achieve an optimal temperature and temperature distribution within the aerosol-generating substrate for optimal aerosol generation.

In some preferred embodiments of the aerosol-generating article according to the invention, the susceptor consists of ferrite. Ferrite is a ferromagnetic material with high magnetic permeability, and is particularly suitable as a susceptor material. The main component of ferrite is iron. Other metallic components, such as zinc, nickel, manganese, or non-metallic components, such as silicon, may be present in varying amounts. Ferrite is a relatively inexpensive commercially available material. Ferrite is available in particle form in a size range of the particles used in the particulate plant material forming the homogenized plant material according to the invention. Preferably, the particles are fully calcined ferrite powder, for example FP160, FP215, FP350 by PPT, Indiana, USA.

In certain embodiments of the present invention, an aerosol-generating system comprises an aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol-generating substrate as described above, a source of an aerosol former, and a method for evaporating the aerosol former, preferably the heating element as described above. includes means. The source of the aerosol former may be a reservoir, which may be refillable or replaceable, that resides on the aerosol-generating device. While the reservoir is physically separated from the aerosol-generating article, the vapor generated is directed through the aerosol-generating article. The vapor releases volatile compounds such as nicotine and flavoring agents in the particulate plant material, forming contact with the aerosol-generating substrate that forms an aerosol. Optionally, to assist volatilization of the compound within the aerosol-generating substrate, the aerosol-generating system may further comprise a heating element that heats the aerosol-generating substrate, preferably in a manner cooperatively with the aerosol-forming agent. However, in certain embodiments, the heating element used to heat the aerosol-generating article is separate from the heater that heats the aerosol former.

As defined above, the present invention further provides an aerosol generated upon heating of an aerosol-generating substrate, wherein the aerosol comprises specific amounts and proportions of a characteristic compound derived from eucalyptus particles as defined above. .

According to the invention, the aerosol comprises eucalyptol in an amount of at least 0.2 μg per aerosol puff; eucalyptin in an amount of at least 0.2 μg per aerosol puff; and 8-desmethyleucalyptin in an amount of at least 0.2 μg per aerosol puff. For the purposes of the present invention, a “puff” is defined as the volume of aerosol that is released from an aerosol-generating substrate upon heating and collected for analysis, the puff of aerosol having a puff volume of 55 ml as generated by a smoking machine. Accordingly, any reference herein to an aerosol “puff” should be understood to refer to a 55 ml puff unless otherwise stated.

The indicated ranges define the total amount of each component measured in a 55 ml puff of aerosol. The aerosol may be generated from the aerosol-generating substrate using any suitable means, and captured and analyzed as described above to identify and determine the amount of characteristic compounds in the aerosol. For example, a “puff” may correspond to a 55 ml puff taken from a smoking machine such as used in the Health Canada test method described herein.

Preferably, the aerosol according to the present invention further comprises at least about 0.5 μg eucalyptol per aerosol puff, more preferably at least about 2 μg eucalyptol per aerosol puff, more preferably at least about 5 μg eucalyptol per aerosol puff contains Alternatively, or additionally, the aerosol generated from the aerosol-generating substrate may contain at most about 25 μg eucalyptol per aerosol puff, preferably at most about 15 μg eucalyptol per aerosol puff, and more preferably at most about 10 μg eucalyptol per aerosol puff. Contains eucalyptol. For example, an aerosol generated from an aerosol-generating substrate may contain from about 0.5 μg to about 25 μg eucalyptol per aerosol puff, or from about 2 μg to about 15 μg eucalyptol per aerosol puff, or from about 5 μg to about 10 μg eucalyptol per aerosol puff. may include

Preferably, the aerosol according to the present invention further comprises at least about 0.5 μg eucaliptin per aerosol puff, more preferably at least about 2 μg eucaliptin per aerosol puff, even more preferably at least about 5 μg eucaliptin per aerosol puff contains Alternatively, or additionally, the aerosol generated from the aerosol-generating substrate may contain at most about 25 μg eucalyptin per aerosol puff, preferably at most about 15 μg eucaliptin per aerosol puff, and more preferably at most about 10 μg per aerosol puff. Contains eucalyptin. For example, an aerosol generated from an aerosol-generating substrate may contain from about 0.2 μg to about 25 μg eucaliptin per aerosol puff, or from about 0.5 μg eucaliptin per aerosol puff to about 25 μg eucaliptin per aerosol puff, or about 2 μg to about 15 μg of eucaliptin, or about 5 μg to about 10 μg of eucaliptin per aerosol puff.

Preferably, the aerosol according to the present invention contains at least about 0.5 μg of 8-desmethyleucaliptin per aerosol puff, more preferably at least about 2 μg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per aerosol puff, more preferably per aerosol puff Contains at least about 5 μg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin. Alternatively, or additionally, the aerosol generated from the aerosol-generating substrate may contain up to about 25 μg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per aerosol puff, preferably up to about 15 μg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per aerosol puff, and more preferably contains up to about 10 μg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per aerosol puff. For example, an aerosol generated from an aerosol-generating substrate may contain from about 0.2 μg to about 25 μg of 8-desmethyleucaliptin per puff of the aerosol, or from about 0.5 μg to about 25 μg of 8-desmethyleucaliptin per puff of the aerosol, or about 2 μg to about 15 μg of 8-desmethyleucaliptin per puff of the aerosol, or about 5 μg to about 10 μg of 8-desmethyleucaliptin per puff of the aerosol.

According to the present invention, the aerosol composition is such that the amount of eucalyptol per puff is not more than twice the amount of eucalyptol per puff. Therefore, the ratio of eucalyptol to eucalyptin in the aerosol is 2:1 or less.

Preferably, the amount of eucalyptol per puff of the aerosol is not more than 1.5 times the amount of eucalyptol per puff of the aerosol, so that the ratio of eucalyptol to eucalyptin in the aerosol is not more than 1.5:1. More preferably, the amount of eucalyptol per puff of the aerosol is not more than 1.2 times the amount of eucalypt per puff of the aerosol, so that the ratio of eucalyptol to eucalyptin in the aerosol is not more than 1.2:1. More preferably, the amount of eucalyptol per puff of the aerosol is less than or equal to the amount of eucalyptol per puff of the aerosol, so that the ratio of eucalyptol to eucalyptin in the aerosol is less than or equal to 1:1.

According to the present invention, the aerosol composition has an amount of eucalyptol per puff of the aerosol that is not more than twice the amount of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per puff of the aerosol. Therefore, the ratio of eucalyptol to 8-desmethyleucalyptin in the aerosol is 2:1 or less.

Preferably, the amount of eucalyptol per puff of the aerosol is 1.5 times or less the amount of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per puff of the aerosol, so that the ratio of eucalyptol to 8-desmethyleucalyptin in the aerosol is 1.5:1 or less. More preferably, the amount of eucalyptol per puff of the aerosol is not more than 1.2 times the amount of eucalyptol per puff of the aerosol, so that the ratio of eucalyptol to 8-desmethyleucalyptin in the aerosol is not more than 1.2:1. More preferably, the amount of eucalyptol per puff of the aerosol is less than or equal to 8-desmethyleucalyptin per puff of the aerosol, so that the ratio of eucalyptol to 8-desmethyleucalyptin in the aerosol is less than or equal to 1:1.

Preferably, the ratio of eucaliptin to 8-desmethyleucaliptin in the aerosol is about 1.2:1 to 1:1.

A defined ratio of eucalyptol to eucalyptin and 8-desmethyleucalyptin characterizes the aerosol derived from eucalyptus particles. In contrast, in an aerosol produced from eucalyptus oil, the ratio of eucalyptol to eucalyptin and the ratio of eucalyptol to 8-desmethyleucalyptin to eucalyptol will be significantly greater than 2:1. This is due to the relatively high proportion of eucalyptol in eucalyptus oil compared to eucalyptus plant material.

Preferably, the ratio of eucalyptin to eucalyptol in the aerosol according to the invention is at least about 1:1. This means that the amount of eucalyptin in the aerosol is at least equal to and preferably higher than the amount of eucalyptol. Alternatively or additionally, the ratio of 8-desmethyleucalyptin to eucalyptol in the aerosol is at least 1:1. This means that the amount of 8-desmethyleucalyptin in the aerosol is at least equal to and preferably higher than the amount of eucalyptol. These proportions are characteristic of aerosols produced from eucalyptus particles. In an aerosol produced from eucalyptus oil, the ratio of eucalyptin to eucalyptol and the ratio of 8-desmethyleucalyptin to eucalyptol will be significantly less than 1. This is due to the relatively high proportion of eucalyptol in eucalyptus oil compared to eucalyptus plant material.

Preferably, the aerosol according to the present invention contains at least about 0.1 mg of aerosol former per aerosol puff, more preferably at least about 0.2 mg of aerosol per aerosol puff, even more preferably at least about 0.3 mg of aerosol forming per aerosol puff contains an agent. Preferably, the aerosol comprises at most 0.6 mg of aerosol former per aerosol puff, more preferably at most 0.5 mg of aerosol former per aerosol puff, more preferably at most 0.4 mg of aerosol former per aerosol puff. . For example, the aerosol may contain from about 0.1 mg to about 0.6 mg of aerosol former per puff of aerosol, or from about 0.2 mg to about 0.5 mg of aerosol former per puff of aerosol, or from about 0.3 mg to about 0.4 mg of aerosol per puff of aerosol. Forming agents may be included. These values are based on a puff volume of 55 ml as defined above.

Suitable aerosol formers for use in the present invention are specified above.

Preferably, the aerosol produced from the aerosol-generating substrate according to the present invention is at least about 2 μg nicotine per aerosol puff, more preferably at least about 20 μg nicotine per aerosol puff, more preferably at least about 40 μg nicotine per aerosol puff contains more. Preferably, the aerosol comprises at most about 200 μg nicotine per aerosol puff, more preferably at most about 150 μg nicotine per aerosol puff, more preferably at most about 75 μg nicotine per aerosol puff. For example, the aerosol may contain from about 2 μg to about 200 μg nicotine per puff of the aerosol, or from about 20 μg to about 150 μg nicotine per aerosol puff, or from about 40 μg to about 75 μg nicotine per puff of the aerosol. These values are based on a puff volume of 55 ml as defined above. In some embodiments of the invention, the aerosol may contain 0 μg of nicotine.

Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol according to the present invention may optionally contain at least about 0.5 mg of cannabinoid compound per aerosol puff, more preferably at least about 1 mg cannabinoid compound per aerosol puff, more preferably at least about 2 mg per aerosol puff. It may further include a cannabinoid compound. Preferably, the aerosol comprises at most about 5 mg of cannabinoid compound per puff of aerosol, more preferably at most about 4 mg of cannabinoid compound per puff of aerosol, more preferably at most about 3 mg of cannabinoid compound per puff of aerosol. For example, the aerosol may comprise from about 0.5 mg to about 5 mg of cannabinoid compound per aerosol puff, or from about 1 mg to about 4 mg cannabinoid compound per aerosol puff, or from about 2 mg to about 3 mg cannabinoid compound per aerosol puff. In some embodiments of the present invention, the aerosol may contain 0 μg of a cannabinoid compound. These values are based on a puff volume of 55 ml as defined above.

Preferably, the cannabinoid compound is selected from CBD and THC. More preferably, the cannabinoid compound is CBD.

Carbon monoxide may also be present in the aerosol according to the invention, and may be measured and used to further characterize the aerosol. Oxides of nitrogen, such as nitrogen oxides and nitrogen dioxide, can also be present in aerosols and can be measured and used to further characterize aerosols.

An aerosol according to the invention comprising a characteristic compound from eucalyptus particles may be formed of particles having a mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) in the range of from about 0.01 to 200 μm, or from about 1 to 100 μm. Preferably, where the aerosol comprises nicotine as described above, the aerosol comprises particles having an MMAD in the range of about 0.1 to about 3 μm to optimize delivery of nicotine from the aerosol.

The mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of an aerosol refers to the aerodynamic diameter at which half of the particulate mass of the aerosol is contributed by particles having an aerodynamic diameter greater than the MMAD and by particles having an aerodynamic diameter smaller than the MMAD do. The aerodynamic diameter is defined as the diameter of a spherical particle with a density of 1 g/cm ³ , and has the same sedimentation rate as that particle is characterized.

The mass median aerodynamic diameter of an aerosol according to the present invention is determined by Schaller et al., “Evaluation of the Tobacco Heating System 2.2. Part 2: Chemical composition, genotoxicity, cytotoxicity and physical properties of the aerosol,” Regul. Toxicol. and Pharmacol., 81 (2016) S27-S47, section 2.8.

Specific embodiments will be further described for purposes of illustration only with reference to the accompanying drawings:
1 depicts a first embodiment of a substrate for an aerosol-generating article as described herein;
2 shows an aerosol-generating system comprising an aerosol-generating device comprising an aerosol-generating article and an electric heating element;
3 shows an aerosol-generating system comprising an aerosol-generating device comprising an aerosol-generating article and a combustible heating element;
4A and 4B depict a second embodiment of a substrate of an aerosol-generating article as described herein;
5 depicts a third embodiment of a substrate for an aerosol-generating article as described herein;
6 is a cross-sectional view of a filter 1050 further comprising an aerosol modifying element, wherein
6a shows an aerosol modifying element in the form of a spherical capsule or bead in a filter plug.
6b shows an aerosol modifying element in the form of a thread in a filter plug.
6c shows an aerosol modifying element in the form of a spherical capsule in a cavity inside the filter;
7 is a cross-sectional view of a plug of an aerosol-generating substrate 1020 further comprising an aerosol modifying element in the form of a bead; and
8 depicts an experimental setup for collecting aerosol samples to be analyzed to determine characteristic compounds.

1 depicts a heated aerosol-generating article 1000 comprising a substrate as described herein. Article 1000 includes four elements; Aerosol-generating substrate 1020 , hollow cellulose acetate tube 1030 , spacer element 1040 and mouthpiece filter 1050 . These four elements are sequentially arranged in coaxial alignment and assembled by cigarette paper 1060 to form the aerosol-generating article 1000 . The article 1000 has a mouth end 1012 that a user inserts into his or her mouth during use, and a distal end 1013 positioned at an opposite end of the article relative to the mouth end 1012 . The embodiment of the aerosol-generating article shown in FIG. 1 is particularly suitable for use in an electrically operated aerosol-generating device comprising a heater for heating the aerosol-generating substrate.

When assembled, article 1000 is about 45 mm long and has an outer diameter of about 7.2 mm and an inner diameter of about 6.9 mm.

The aerosol-generating substrate 1020, alone or in combination with tobacco particles, comprises a plug formed of a sheet of homogenized plant material containing eucalyptus particles. Numerous examples of suitable homogenized plant material for forming the aerosol-generating substrate 1020 are shown in Table 1 below (see Samples A-D). The sheet is corrugated, crimped and wrapped in filter paper (not shown) to form a plug. The sheet contains additives, including glycerol as an aerosol former.

1 , an aerosol-generating article 1000 is designed to engage an aerosol-generating device for consumption. Such aerosol-generating devices include means for heating the aerosol-generating substrate 1020 to a temperature sufficient to form an aerosol. In general, an aerosol-generating device may include a heating element that surrounds the aerosol-generating article 1000 adjacent the aerosol-generating substrate 1020 , or a heating element that is inserted within the aerosol-generating substrate 1020 .

Once engaged with the aerosol-generating device, the user aspirates the mouth end 1012 of the smoking article 1000 and the aerosol-generating substrate 1020 is heated to a temperature of about 375°C. At this temperature, volatile compounds are released from the aerosol-generating substrate 1020 . This compound concentrates to form an aerosol. The aerosol is drawn through the filter 1050 and into the user's mouth.

FIG. 2 illustrates a portion of an electrically operated aerosol-generating system 2000 that uses a heating blade 2100 to heat an aerosol-generating substrate 1020 of an aerosol-generating article 1000 . The heating blade is mounted within the aerosol article receiving compartment of the electrically operated aerosol-generating device 2010 . The aerosol-generating device defines a plurality of air apertures 2050 for allowing air to flow through the aerosol-generating article 1000 . The air flow is indicated by arrows in FIG. 2 . The aerosol-generating device includes a power supply and an electronic device, not shown in FIG. 2 . The aerosol-generating article 1000 of FIG. 2 is as described with respect to FIG. 1 .

In an alternative configuration shown in FIG. 3 , the aerosol-generating system is shown with a combustible heating element. While the article 1000 of FIG. 1 is intended to be consumed with an aerosol-generating device, the article 1001 of FIG. 3 is a combustible heat source capable of igniting and transferring heat to the aerosol-forming substrate 1020 to form an inhalable aerosol ( 1080) is included. The combustible heat source 80 is a charcoal element assembled in proximity to the aerosol-generating substrate at the distal end 13 of the rod 11 . Elements that are essentially the same as those in Figure 1 are given the same number.

4A and 4B show a second embodiment of a heated aerosol-generating article 4000a, 4000b. The aerosol-generating substrates 4020a, 4020b include a first downstream plug 4021 formed of particulate plant material containing mainly eucalyptus particles, and a second upstream plug 4022 formed of particulate plant material containing mainly tobacco particles. contains A suitable homogenized plant material for use in the first downstream plug is shown as Sample A in Table 1 below. A suitable homogenized plant material for use in the second upstream plug is shown as Sample E in Table 1 below.

In each plug, the homogenized plant material is in the form of a sheet, crimped and wrapped with filter paper (not shown). The sheets all contain additives, including glycerol as an aerosol former. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A , the plugs are combined in an abutting end-to-end relationship to form a rod and each have the same length of about 6 mm. In a more preferred embodiment (not shown), the second plug is 7 or 7.5 mm long while the first plug is 5 or 4.5 mm long to provide the desired ratio of tobacco to eucalyptus particles in the substrate. The two plugs are preferably longer than the first plug, for example preferably 2 mm longer and more preferably 3 mm longer. In FIG. 4B , the cellulose acetate tube support element 1030 is omitted.

Articles 4000a , 4000b similar to article 1000 of FIG. 1 are particularly suitable for use with the electrically operated aerosol-generating system 2000 that includes the heater shown in FIG. 2 . Elements that are essentially the same as those in Figure 1 are given the same number. Instead, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a combustible heat source (not shown) may be used with the second embodiment in place of an electrical heating element in a configuration similar to the configuration in which article 1001 of FIG. 3 includes combustible heat source 1080 . can be expected by

5 depicts a third embodiment of a heated aerosol-generating article 5000 . The aerosol-generating substrate 5020 comprises a rod formed of a first sheet of homogenized plant material formed of particulate plant material comprising predominantly eucalyptus particles, and a second sheet of homogenized plant material comprising predominantly cast leaf tobacco. are doing A suitable homogenized plant material for use as the first sheet is shown as Sample A in Table 1 below. A suitable homogenized plant material for use as a second sheet is shown as Sample A in Table 1 below.

A second sheet overlies the first sheet, and the combined sheets are crimped, crimped, and at least partially wrapped with filter paper (not shown) to form a plug that is part of the rod. Both sheets contain additives, including glycerol as an aerosol former. Similar to article 1000 of FIG. 1 , article 5000 is particularly suitable for use with an electrically operated aerosol-generating system 2000 that includes a heater shown in FIG. 2 . Elements that are essentially the same as those in Figure 1 are given the same number. Instead, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a combustible heat source (not shown) may be used with the third embodiment in place of an electrical heating element in a configuration similar to the configuration in which article 1001 of FIG. 3 includes combustible heat source 1080 . can be expected by

6 is a cross-sectional view of a filter 1050 further comprising an aerosol modifying element. 6A , the filter 1050 further comprises an aerosol modifying element in the form of a spherical capsule or bead 605 .

In the embodiment of FIG. 6A , the capsule or bead 605 is embedded within the filter portion 601 and surrounded on all sides by the filter material 603 . In this embodiment, the capsule comprises an outer shell and an inner core, wherein the inner core contains a liquid flavoring agent. The liquid flavoring agent is for providing flavor to the aerosol during use of an aerosol-generating article provided with a filter. The capsule 605 releases at least a portion of the liquid flavoring agent when the filter is subjected to an external force, for example by compression by the consumer. In the embodiment shown, the capsule is generally spherical in shape and has a substantially continuous outer shell containing the liquid flavoring agent.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6B , the filter portion 601 has a central flavor-extending axially through the plug of filter material 603 and the plug of filter material 603 parallel to the longitudinal axis of the filter 1050 . containing thread 607 . The central flavor-containing thread 607 is of substantially the same length as the plug of filter material 603 , so that the end of the central flavor-containing thread 607 is visible at the end of the filter portion 601 . . 6B, filter material 603 is cellulose acetate tow. The central flavor-containing thread 607 is formed of a twisted filter plug wrap and loaded with an aerosol modifier.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6C , filter element 601 includes more than one plug of filter material 603 , 603 ′. Preferably, the plugs of filter material 603 , 603 ′ can be formed of cellulose acetate to filter the aerosol provided by the aerosol-generating article. A wrapper 609 is wrapped around and connecting to the filter plugs 603 and 603'. Inside cavity 611 is a capsule 605 containing an outer shell and an inner core, the inner core containing a liquid flavoring agent. Otherwise the capsule is similar to the embodiment of Figure 6a.

7 is a cross-sectional view of an aerosol-generating substrate 1020 further comprising an aerosol modifying element in the form of a bead 705 . The aerosol-generating substrate 1020 includes a plug 703 formed from a sheet of homogenized plant material containing tobacco particles and eucalyptus particles. The flavor transfer material in the beads 705 contains flavor that is released when the material is heated to a temperature above 220°C. Thus, the flavoring agent is released as an aerosol as part of the plug during use.

Example

As described above with reference to the drawings, different samples of homogenized plant material for use in an aerosol-generating substrate according to the present invention were prepared from an aqueous slurry having the composition shown in Table 1. Samples A to D contained eucalyptus particles according to the present invention. Sample E contains tobacco particles only and is included for comparison purposes only.

Particulate plant material in all samples accounted for 75% of the dry weight of the homogenized plant material, and glycerol, guar gum and cellulose fibers accounted for the remaining 25% of the dry weight of the homogenized plant material. In the table below, % DWB refers to "by dry weight", in this case the % by weight calculated with respect to the dry weight of the homogenized plant material. Eucalyptus powder was formed from Eucalyptus globulus leaves which were initially ground by impact milling to a D95 = 300 μm and further milled further to a final D95 = 174.6 μm by triple impact milling.

Table 1. Dry content of slurry, plug weight and cast leaf basis weight

The slurry was cast on a glass plate using a casting bar (0.6 mm), dried in an oven at 140° C. for 7 minutes and then dried in a second oven at 120° C. for 30 seconds.

For each sample A to E of homogenized plant material, plugs were produced from a single continuous sheet of homogenized plant material, each sheet having a width of 100 mm to 125 mm. The individual sheets had a thickness of about 220 μm and a basis weight of ^{about 200 g/m 2 .} The cut width of each sheet was adjusted based on the thickness of each sheet to produce rods of similar volume. The sheet is crimped to a height of 165 μm to 170 μm, rolled into plugs having a length of about 12 mm and a diameter of about 7 mm, and wrapped with a paper wrapper.

For each plug, from the downstream end: a mouth end cellulose acetate filter (about 7 mm long), an aerosol spacer containing a crimped sheet of polylactic acid polymer (about 18 mm long), a hollow acetate tube (about 8 mm long), and An aerosol-generating article having an overall length of about 45 mm having a structure as shown in FIG. 3 comprising a plug of an aerosol-generating substrate was formed.

For sample A of homogenized plant material, in which eucalyptus particles constitute 100% of the particulate plant material, characteristic compounds were extracted from the plug of homogenized plant material using methanol as described above. The extract was analyzed as described above to confirm the presence of the characteristic compound and to determine the amount of the characteristic compound. The results of this analysis are shown in Table 2 below, where the amounts indicated correspond to the amounts per aerosol-generating article, and the aerosol-generating substrate of the aerosol-generating article contained 233 mg Sample A of homogenized plant material. For comparison, the amounts of characteristic compounds present in the particulate plant material (eucalyptus particles) used to form Sample A are also indicated.

Table 2. Amount of eucalyptus-specific compounds in particulate plant material and aerosol-generating substrates

For each sample B to D comprising the proportion of eucalyptus particles, the amount of the characteristic compound can be estimated based on the values in Table 2 by assuming that the amount is present in proportion to the weight of the eucalyptus particles.

A mainstream aerosol of an aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol-generating substrate formed from Samples A-E of homogenized plant material was generated according to Test Method A, as described above. For each sample, the aerosol generated was captured and analyzed.

As described above, according to Test Method A, aerosol-generating articles were tested using the iQOS® Heated-Unburnt Device Tobacco Heating System 2.2 Holder (THS2.2 Holder) commercially available from Philip Morris Products SA. Aerosol-generating articles were heated over 30 times under the Health Canada mechanical smoking regime with a puff volume of 55 ml, a duration of 2 seconds between puffs, and an interval of 30 seconds between puffs (as described in ISO/TR 19478-1:2014).

Aerosols generated during the smoking test were collected on a Cambridge filter pad and extracted with a liquid solvent. 10 shows a suitable device for generating and collecting an aerosol from an aerosol-generating article.

The aerosol-generating device 111 shown in FIG. 10 is a commercially available tobacco heating device (IQOS). As described above, the contents of the alcoholic beverage aerosol generated during the Health Canada smoking test is collected in an aerosol collection chamber 113 on an aerosol collection line 120 . The glass fiber filter pad 140 is a 44 mm Cambridge glass fiber filter pad (CFP) according to ISO 4387 and ISO 3308.

LC- HRAM -MS analysis:

The extraction solvent 170, 170a - in this case methanol and an internal standard (ISTD) solution) - is present in each micro-impinger 160, 160a in a volume of 10 mL. The cold baths 161 and 161a each contain dry ice-isopropyl ether to maintain the micro-impingers 160 and 160a at approximately -60 DEG C, respectively. The gas-vapor phase is entrapped in the extraction solvent 170 , 170a as an aerosol bubble through the micro-impingers 160 , 160a . The combined solution from the two micro-impingers is separated in step 181 as impinger-entrapped gas-vapor phase solution 180 .

CFP and impinger-entrapped gas-vapor phase solution 180 are combined in a clean Pyrex® tube in step 190 . In step 200, shaking thoroughly (disintegrates CFP), vortexing for 5 min, and finally centrifugation (4500 g, 5 min, 10° C.) to remove total particulate matter from the impinger-entrapped gas-vapor phase solution 180 ( containing methanol as solvent) to extract from CFP. Transfer an aliquot (300 µL) of the reconstituted total aerosol extract (220) to a silanized chromatography vial and dilute with methanol (700 µL) as the extraction solvents (170, 170a) already contain the internal standard (ISTD) solution. made it Close the vial and mix for 5 min using an Eppendorf ThermoMixer (5 °C; 2000 rpm).

Aliquots (1.5 μL) of the diluted extracts were injected and analyzed by LC-HRAM-MS in both full scan mode and data dependent fragmentation mode for compound identification.

GCxGC-TOFMS analysis:

As discussed above, once samples are prepared for GCxGC-TOFMS experiments, different solvents are suitable for extracting and analyzing polar, non-polar and volatile compounds isolated from the total aerosol. Experimental setup is the same as described for sample collection for LC-HRAM-MS with the exceptions indicated below.

Non-polar & Polar

The extraction solvent (171,171a) is present in a volume of 10 mL, is an 80:20 v/v mixture of dichloromethane and methanol, and also contains a retention-index marker (RIM) compound and a stable isotopically labeled internal standard (ISTD). are doing Cold baths 162 and 162a each contain a dry ice-isopropanol mixture to maintain micro-impingers 160 and 160a at about -78°C, respectively. The gas-vapor phase is captured in the extraction solvent 171 , 171a as an aerosol bubble through the micro-impingers 160 , 160a . The combined solution from the two micro-impingers is separated in step 182 as impinger-entrapped gas-vapor phase solution 210 .

non-polar

In step 190 CFP and impinger-entrapped gas-vapor phase solution 210 are combined in a clean Pyrex® tube. In step 200, shaking thoroughly (disintegrates CFP), vortexing for 5 min, and finally centrifugation (4500 g, 5 min, 10° C.) to remove the total particulate matter from the impinger-entrapped gas-vapor phase solution 210 ( The polar and non-polar components of the total aerosol extract 230 are separated by extraction from CFP using dichloromethane and methanol as solvents.

In step 250, a 10 mL aliquot (240) of the total aerosol extract (230) was taken. At step 260, a 10 mL aliquot of water is added and the entire sample is shaken and centrifuged. The non-polar fraction (270) was isolated, dried over sodium sulfate and analyzed by GCxGC-TOFMS in full scan mode.

polarity

ISTD and RIM compounds were added to the polar fraction (280) and then directly analyzed by GCxGC-TOFMS in full scan mode.

Each smoking replica (n = 3) contained captured and reconstituted non-polar fraction 270 and polar portion 280 accumulated for each sample.

volatile components

Two micro-impingers 160, 160a were used in series to capture the entire aerosol. Extraction solvents 172 and 172a containing a retention-index marker (RIM) compound, which in this case were N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), and a stable isotopically labeled internal standard (ISTD) were each micro- present in a volume of 10 mL in the impingers 160 and 160a. The cold baths 161 and 161a each contain dry ice-isopropyl ether to maintain the micro-impingers 160 and 160a at approximately -60 DEG C, respectively. The gas-vapor phase is captured in the extraction solvent 170 , 170a as an aerosol bubble through the micro-impingers 160 , 160a . The combined solution from the two micro-impingers is separated in step 183 into a volatile-containing phase 211 . The volatile-containing phase 211 is analyzed separately from the other phases and directly injected into the GCxGC-TOFMS using cool-on-column injection without further preparation.

Table 3 below shows the levels of compounds characteristic from eucalyptus particles in an aerosol generated from an aerosol-generating article comprising sample A of homogenized plant material, including only eucalyptus particles. For comparison, Table 3 also shows the levels of characteristic compounds in the aerosol generated from an aerosol-generating article comprising sample E of homogenized plant material comprising tobacco particles only (and thus not in accordance with the present invention). .

Table 3. Characteristic Compound Content in Aerosols

In the aerosol generated from Sample A, relatively high levels of the characteristic compound were measured. The ratio of eucalyptol to eucalyptin and the ratio of eucalyptol to 8-desmethyleucalyptin were both less than 1. Thus, the characteristic compound level was indicative of the presence of eucalyptus particles in the sample. In contrast, for sample E, which was only tobacco, substantially free of eucalyptus particles, the level of the characteristic compound was found to be zero or close to zero.

For each of Samples B to D containing the proportion of eucalyptus particles, the amount of the characteristic compound in the aerosol is proportional to the weight of the eucalyptus particles in the aerosol-generating substrate from which the aerosol is generated Table 3 by assuming that the amount is present It can be estimated based on the value of .

Other compounds identified in the aerosol generated from Sample A characteristic of eucalyptus include epi-globulol (CAS No. 88728-58-9, 64.13 μg/article); ledene (CAS No. 21747-46-6, 51.64 μg/article); tasmanon (CAS No. 22595-52-4, 39.12 μg/article); alloaromadendren (CAS No. 25246-27-9, 29.99 μg/article); alpha-terpineol acetate (CAS No. 10581-37-0, 25.19 μg/article); Contains euglobal III (CAS No. 76449-26-8, 21.66 μg/article). Such compounds may also be used to identify and evaluate the presence and amount of eucalyptus plant material in an article.

Table 4 below more generally shows the composition of the aerosol generated from an aerosol-generating article comprising Sample A (eucalyptus only) compared to the composition of the aerosol generated from Sample E (tobacco only), which is tobacco only. The indicated reduction is the reduction provided by replacing the tobacco particles in the homogenized plant material of sample E with eucalyptus particles.

Table 4. Composition of aerosols

As shown in Table 4, the aerosol produced by Sample A containing 100% by weight of eucalyptus powder, based on the dry weight of the particulate plant material, was 100% by weight based on the dry weight of the particulate plant material. Reduced levels of propionaldehyde, crotonaldehyde, methylethylketone, butyraldehyde, acetaldehyde, phenol, o-cresol, catechol, hydroquinone, acrylic when compared to the level of aerosol in Sample E produced using tobacco. resulting in ronitrile, styrene, isoprene, pyridine, benzo[a]pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, pyrene and total particulate matter.

Claims (17)

An aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol-generating substrate, wherein the aerosol-generating substrate comprises homogenized plant material, wherein the homogenized plant material comprises at least 2.5% by weight on a dry weight basis of eucalyptus particles, an aerosol former and a binder; , wherein the aerosol-generating substrate comprises:
at least 0.04 mg eucalyptol per gram of the substrate, on a dry weight basis;
at least 0.2 mg eucalyptin per gram of the substrate, on a dry weight basis; and
An aerosol-generating article comprising, on a dry weight basis, at least 0.2 mg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of the substrate. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amount of eucalyptin per gram of the substrate is at least three times the amount of eucalyptol per gram of the substrate, and the amount of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of the substrate is an amount of eucalyptol per gram of the substrate. at least three times the amount. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein upon heating of the aerosol-generating substrate according to test method A,
at least 10 μg eucalyptol per gram of the substrate, on a dry weight basis;
at least 10 μg eucalyptin per gram of the substrate, on a dry weight basis; and
an aerosol comprising, on a dry weight basis, at least 10 μg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of the substrate is generated,
wherein the amount of eucalyptol per gram of the substrate is not more than twice the amount of eucalyptol per gram of the substrate, and the amount of eucalyptol per gram of the substrate is not more than twice the amount of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of the substrate. wherein the aerosol-generating article. 4. The aerosol-generating article of claim 3, wherein the aerosol generated upon heating of the aerosol-generating substrate further comprises at least 0.1 mg of nicotine per gram of the substrate. 5. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein the amount of eucalyptol per gram of the substrate is no more than 1.2 times the amount of eucalyptol per gram of the substrate, and the amount of eucalyptol per gram of the substrate is 8- per gram of the substrate. An aerosol-generating article, wherein the amount of desmethyleucalyptin is not more than 1.2 times. 6 . The aerosol-generating article according to claim 1 , wherein the homogenized plant material further comprises up to 97% by weight of tobacco particles on a dry weight basis. The aerosol-generating article according to claim 6 , wherein the weight ratio of the eucalyptus particles to the tobacco particles is 1:4 or less. 8. The aerosol-generating article according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the binder comprises guar gum. 9 . The aerosol-generating article according to claim 1 , wherein the homogenized plant material in the aerosol-generating substrate is in the form of cast leaves. 9 . The aerosol-generating article according to claim 1 , wherein the homogenized plant material in the aerosol-generating substrate is formed by a papermaking process. 11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the aerosol-generating substrate comprises one or more sheets of homogenized plant material, wherein the one or more sheets of homogenized plant material are each individually:
thickness of 100 μm to 600 μm; or
a basis weight of from about 100 g/m ² to about 300 g/m ²
An aerosol-generating article comprising one or more of The aerosol-generating article of claim 11 , wherein the aerosol-generating substrate comprises a susceptor. 13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein upon heating of the aerosol-generating substrate according to test method A, the aerosol generated from the aerosol-generating substrate is:
eucalyptol in an amount of at least 0.2 μg per puff of aerosol;
eucalyptin in an amount of at least 0.2 μg per puff of the aerosol; and
8-desmethyleucalyptin in an amount of at least 0.2 μg per puff of aerosol;
the puff of aerosol has a volume of 55 ml as generated by a smoking machine, the amount of eucalyptol per puff is not more than twice the amount of eucalyptol per puff, and the amount of eucalyptol per puff is 8- per puff An aerosol-generating article having no more than twice the amount of desmethyleucalyptin. An aerosol-generating substrate comprising homogenized plant material comprising at least 2.5% by weight on a dry weight basis of eucalyptus particles, an aerosol former and a binder, the aerosol-generating substrate comprising:
at least 0.04 mg eucalyptol per gram of the substrate, on a dry weight basis;
at least 0.2 mg eucalyptin per gram of the substrate, on a dry weight basis; and
An aerosol-generating substrate comprising, on a dry weight basis, at least 0.2 mg of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per gram of said substrate. an aerosol-generating device comprising a heating element; and
14. Comprising the aerosol-generating article according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
aerosol generating system. 15. An aerosol generated upon heating of the aerosol-generating substrate according to claim 14, wherein the aerosol comprises:
eucalyptol in an amount of at least 0.2 μg per puff of aerosol;
eucalyptin in an amount of at least 0.2 μg per puff of the aerosol; and
8-desmethyleucalyptin in an amount of at least 0.2 μg per puff of aerosol;
the puff of aerosol has a volume of 55 ml as generated by a smoking machine, wherein the amount of eucalyptol per puff is not more than twice the amount of eucalyptol per puff, and the amount of eucalyptol per gram of homogenized plant material is an aerosol of no more than twice the amount of 8-desmethyleucalyptin per puff. A method of making an aerosol-generating substrate, the method comprising:
forming a slurry comprising eucalyptus particles, water, an aerosol former, a binder and optionally tobacco particles;
casting or extruding the slurry in the form of sheets or strands; and
drying the sheet or strand at 80° C. to 160° C.

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